Maersk and Kotahi Ink Second Long-Term Freight Agreement

Maersk and Kotahi, New Zealand’s largest container manager, have extended their long-term freight partnership through December 2034.

"An ongoing freight partnership with Maersk will provide New Zealand’s international trade with resilience and agility to navigate these issues into the future," said David Ross, Chief Executive of Kotahi.

Ross added, "The magnitude of this agreement is big, even by global standards, with an estimated NZ$160 billion (US$97.6 billion) value of primary export products given greater certainty and capability around delivery to market. The long-term agreement provides our shareholders and exporters on our platform with a backbone shipping network for reliable services to key export locations."

A decade ago, the two companies initiated a pioneering collaboration to enhance the reliability of New Zealand's ocean logistics, focusing on the needs of New Zealand exporters.

Since then, the partnership has successfully transported 1.8 million TEUs or 23 million tonnes of New Zealand cargo to market, primarily consisting of primary industry exports such as dairy, meat, seafood, horticulture, and forestry, even through challenging conditions.

"Despite significant pressure on global supply chains over the past few years, Fonterra and many other New Zealand companies have been able to keep products moving. We’re looking forward to seeing what this next decade of partnership between Kotahi and Maersk brings," said Anna Palairet, Chief Operating Officer at Fonterra, New Zealand’s largest exporter of dairy products.

Kotahi, in collaboration with Maersk’s carrier network, managed Fonterra’s record export shipments without resorting to more expensive, non-containerised freight options. This partnership also assisted many export customers in getting their products to market when no other options were available.

Recently, Maersk inaugurated a state-of-the-art cold-store facility in Ruakura, New Zealand, aiming to further support the local infrastructure and foster collaboration with customers in the country.