MEDIA RELEASE:
Thursday 15 May 2008

Ports of Auckland commits to improved environmental efficiency

An inventory of Ports of Auckland's total greenhouse gas emissions has provided a solid foundation for further work by the Company to manage its carbon footprint, Managing Director Jens Madsen said today.

The Company today announced it has completed the measurement of its greenhouse gases for the 2006 and 2007 calendar years. The 2007 year has undergone an independent audit.*

Mr Madsen said Ports of Auckland is committed to playing its part in ensuring its carbon footprint, and therefore that of the cargo it handles, is kept to a minimum.

"In terms of the entire supply chain, from raw material to finished product to final consumer, the contribution of the Port to any product's total carbon footprint is relatively small.

"However, as New Zealand's largest port, as the country's primary import destination, and as a key partner to the country's crucial export industries, we believe it is important to assist New Zealand businesses achieve optimum environmental efficiency throughout the product life-cycle," Mr Madsen said.

Mr Madsen said that the Company has already begun to demonstrate its commitment to energy efficiency.

He said many initiatives, both in terms of technology purchases and operational behaviours, had been introduced over recent years, including:

 the significant investment in an upgrade of the Port's floodlighting in 2005, helping to reduce the Company's respective energy consumption by approximately 15%

 the purchase of 35 new hybrid diesel-electric straddle carriers over the last three years, forming the country's newest and most efficient fleet

 the introduction of a Vehicle Booking System in November 2007

 the recent introduction of a sophisticated fuel-monitoring system.

He said Ports of Auckland will continue to introduce and develop new ways to better manage its diesel and electricity consumption and that the Company's overall aim is to achieve lower energy-intensity.

Ports of Auckland is also presently working on the establishment of a rail link between the Auckland seaport and the Company's Wiri Inland Port, which would generate further operational and environmental efficiencies.

Mr Madsen said that increasingly, consumers around the globe are questioning the environmental impacts of the products they purchase.

"In this fiercely competitive global market it is important that Ports of Auckland and the wider industry work to ensure that the supply chain as a whole is designed with the best interests of 'New Zealand Inc' in mind," said Mr Madsen.

The announcement comes ahead of this week's Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation Conference on Climate Change, at which Ports of Auckland Chief Financial Officer Wayne Thompson will join an Industry Forum canvassing key industry representatives on their Company's responses to the carbon challenge.

* The inventory was audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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