JUNE 2015

PAGE 5 A tribute to a Port Nelson trailblazer

PAGE 10 QuayPacks value-adding services

PAGE 16 Port Nelson in the community

Re:PORT T h e R e g i o n s G a t e w a y t o t h e W o r l d

FROM THE CEO

Community is one of the six pillars in our company vision document. Under that heading we talk about our aim of creating a sense of great pride in the role we play in our community. While we have key financial aims as a commercial organisation, including facilitating regional prosperity and operating as a successful business, we also take our role of supporting various organisations and groups within the Nelson/Tasman region very seriously.

Each year Port Nelson Ltd (PNL) allocates a total of approximately $100,000 to a variety of groups working in areas such as business, sports, the arts and the wider community.

One of the aims of our sponsorship programme is to support community organisations that epitomise our values such as passion, excellence and respect. Two great organisations that we currently support are Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) and St John Ambulance.

PNL has been a sponsor of BBBS for the past two years. Earlier this year we were delighted to join other local businesses including Intepeople, Fulton Hogan, Fico Finance, and Pics Peanut Butter as cornerstone sponsors of the Nelson programme.

BBBS does an amazing job linking children in our community with mentors, particularly young boys who do not have a regular father figure in their lives. With all the natural beauty around us in Nelson it can be easy to forget that there are a significant number of families struggling to get by, and it is beholden on organisations such as ours to lend a hand when we are in a position to do so.

One of the great things about the BBBS sponsorship is that it is not simply a matter of us handing over a cheque each year. We also have staff involved in the mentoring process and the BBBS team get involved as volunteers at our annual golf day in November. There are also other collaborations between the Port and BBBS which you can read about in our story on pg 18.

The second organisation that I would like to mention is St John Ambulance. In March and April 2014 St John ran a corporate challenge where they encouraged local business leaders to spend a night shift with their staff. The aim was to help participants gain a better understanding of the challenges St John staff face on a regular basis and to provide an opportunity to raise some funds for their very worthwhile organisation.

I was lucky enough to join St John staff for a shift and was blown away by the passion and commitment of their staff and the huge amount of voluntary time that many of them put towards this work.

Since that corporate challenge the Port has entered into an agreement with St John to provide two years of sponsorship. The first years funding went towards the upgrade of a vehicle to be used for off-road rescues. You can read about this on pg 16. Next year the sponsorship funding will go towards purchasing additional equipment for that vehicle.

We are very pleased to be able to support two such worthwhile organisations. St John and Big Brothers Big Sisters both do amazing work in our community. I would certainly encourage anyone reading this article to find out a little more about what these organisations do on a daily basis in our region.

Martin ByrneChief Executive OfficerPort Nelson

Cruise into NelsonA growing number of cruise ships are choosing Nelson as a destination and the feedback from both crew and passengers has been fantastic.

In the 2014 2015 summer season, we were treated to visits by the Caledonian Sky, the Europa and the LAustral. The LAustral came three times! says Nelson Tasman Tourisms International Marketing Manager, Gisela Purcell. These are all boutique, high-end ships with fewer than 500 passengers each. This size of ship worked well for the services available in the region.

Last season was a success from the Ports point of view, says Port Nelsons Marine Operations Manager Dave Duncan. Three visits from the same vessel speaks for itself in terms of how successful those visits were.

Port Nelsons cruise ship season typically starts in late December. While some bookings can come in at the last minute, in most cases ships are booked well in advance. That allows the Port team to anticipate what we have to do and make sure that we are well prepared to welcome our visitors.

Ensuring that everything runs like clockwork requires collaboration between staff at Port Nelson, Nelson Tasman Tourism and the onshore excursion operators, says Gisela. The sunshine also cooperated with us last season, providing great weather for every visit.

About half the passengers had booked on-shore excursions. Tour buses and helicopters met them at the wharf to whisk them off around the region. For the remaining passengers, activity advice

was provided on board by Nelson Tasman Tourism. Having an interpreter was especially appreciated by the French passengers.

Regular shuttle buses between the Port and Nelson city meant passengers and crew could easily visit the town, enjoying the local restaurants, galleries, museums and parks. On their return the passengers were raving about their experiences in the region, with highlights being the WOW Gallery, Icon Gallery, Mapua, local wineries and the Abel Tasman National Park.

It is important not to forget about the crew who also like to get off the ship, enjoy the region and stock up on supplies for the next leg of their journey. They will be offering advice to the passengers on the next visit so hosting them well can have positive future impacts.

Nelson is a relatively new destination for cruise ships. The highly competitive nature of the market means it takes a lot of work to get these ships here. New Zealand has experienced rapid growth as a cruise destination overall, with cruise being the fastest growing sector in tourism. According to statistics collated by Cruise New Zealand, the size of New Zealands cruise sector has doubled during the last five years, and forecasts show no sign of this growth abating.1

Nelsons central location is a key advantage for the attractions we have to offer but also provides a challenge due to the close proximity of Port Marlborough in Picton and CentrePort in Wellington, says Dave. Ships Co-ordinators have to make the decision to travel the extra day to get to Nelson and surrounds.

The average daily spend of a cruise ship visitor, who are mainly international passengers, is estimated to be $1682. The economic benefits to our region are significant, and the trend for passengers to re-visit their favourite regions for post-cruise experiences provides the opportunity to double-dip.

Ensuring a high-quality visitor experience coupled with the ability to service the technical needs of the ship is crucial to growing the number of cruise ships coming to Nelson.

Cruise Ship LAustral. Photo supplied by Nelson Tasman Tourism

Ensuring that everything runs like clockwork requires collaboration between staff at Port Nelson, Nelson Tasman Tourism and the onshore excursion operators. Gisela Purcell, International Marketing Manager Nelson Tasman Tourism

PRODUCTION CREDITS

3 Port Nelson News

6 Around the Port

8 Customer Close-UpNelson Pine IndustriesMaersk Line New Zealand

10 FeatureQuaypack

14 New to Port Nelson

16 Port Nelson in the Community

CONTENTS

port nelson RE:port 20152 port nelson RE:port 2015 3

Port nelson News

1 www.cruisenewzealand.org.nz/data 2 www.tourismnewzealand.com/media/1051449/cnz_2013_full_report_final.pdf

All photos by Tim Cuff unless otherwise indicated

Cover photo by Tim Cuff

Re:Port is proudly produced by WaltersPR (www.walterspr.co.nz), HotHouse Communications (www.hothouse.co.nz) and Tim Cuff Photography (www.timcuff.com), and is printed by Printhouse (www.printhouse.co.nz)

Port Nelson Group Tours Noise Contour Map UpdatedPort Nelsons noise contour map has been updated in conjunction with the Nelson City Council, with results finalised in early 2015. The map identifies the degree to which neighbouring properties are affected by Port noise. In some cases, affected properties may be eligible for a contribution towards acoustic treatment from Port Nelson.

The noise contour review was carried out by acoustic engineers, and was subsequently peer reviewed, says Port Nelsons Environmental Officer Kelly Leonard.

The outcome of the process was that, taking the relatively small variations into account, the existing noise contours were still robust and appropriate. It was recommended that we retain the original contours, and the Port Noise Liaison Committee endorsed that recommendation.

Port Nelson offers personalised group tours to members of the public on the last Tuesday of each month. The tours are free of charge, and participants have the choice of a morning or afternoon timeslot.

The tours cover the history of the Port, cargo types, operational areas, and how the Port contributes to the local community via sponsorship and fundraising. The tours also give the public an opportunity to see areas of the Port that are normally off limits to those without security clearance.

People who come on the tour are often surprised by all the activity at the Port, which cant usually be seen by those driving by, says Port Nelsons Business Development Manager Eugene Beneke. We enjoy the opportunity to show visitors the variety of work that we do.

To book a Port Nelson group tour please contact Jacqui McLeod on 03 539 3834 or email jacqui.mcleod@portnelson.co.nz.

Port Nelsons Business Development Manager Eugene Beneke