September 3, 2009

The Mari­time Uni­on is ask­ing where the Gov­ern­ment and the Min­is­ter of Trans­port stands on the future of region­al ports after Fonterra announced it was with­draw­ing from some region­al ports in favour of trans­port­ing goods by long dis­tance rail last month.

Jobs are under threat, cas­u­al­iz­a­tion is hit­ting work­ers hard, and the viab­il­ity of region­al ports is under a cloud after the decision, which has cre­ated intense debate in the regions and the trans­port industry.

Mari­time Uni­on Gen­er­al Sec­ret­ary Tre­vor Han­son says the uni­on’s nation­al exec­ut­ive met with a Fonterra rep­res­ent­at­ive earli­er this week.