Editing Transport in New Zealand (section)

===International shipping===
Historically, international shipping to and from New Zealand started out with the first explorer-traders, with New Zealand waters soon becoming a favourite goal for whalers as well as merchants trading with the Maori and beginning European colonies.

In the 19th century, one of the most important changes for New Zealand shipping — and for New Zealand itself — came with the introduction of refrigerated ships, which allowed New Zealand to export meat to overseas, primarily to the United Kingdom. This led to a booming agricultural industry which was suddenly offered a way to ship their goods to markets around the world.

Larger, deeper-draught ships from the middle of the 19th century made [[dredge]]s a common sight in shipping channels around New Zealand, and [[tugboat]]s were also often bought to assist them to the quays, where electric or hydraulic cranes were increasingly used for on- and off-loading. However, manpower was still needed in large amounts, and waterfronts were the hotbeds of the [[industrial action]]s of the early 20th century.<ref name="VICTORIAN">{{Cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/ports-and-harbours/5|title=Ports and harbours – The Victorian era to 1960|encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]|access-date=18 March 2010}}</ref>

In the 1970s, [[containerisation]] revolutionised shipping, eventually coming to New Zealand as well. The local harbour boards wrought massive changes on those ports selected (after much political wrangling) to handle the new giant vessels, such as [[Lyttelton, New Zealand|Lyttelton]] and [[Ports of Auckland|Auckland Port]]. [[Gantry crane]]s, [[straddle carrier]]s and powerful [[tugboat]]s were built or purchased, and [[shipping channel]]s dredged deeper, while large areas of land were [[land reclamation|reclaimed]] to enable the new [[container terminal]]s. The changes have been described as having been more radical than the changeover from sail to steam a century before.<ref name="MODERNERA">{{Cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/ports-and-harbours/5|title=Ports and harbours – The Modern Era|encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]|access-date=18 March 2010}}</ref>

However, containerisation made many of the smaller ports suffer, this being only later recovered somewhat with newer, smaller multi-purpose ships that could travel to smaller ports, and the loosening of the trade links with the United Kingdom, which diversified the trade routes. The time for river ports had gone however, and most of them disappeared, facing particular pressure from the new [[rail ferry|rail ferries]],<ref name="VICTORIAN"/><ref name="MODERNERA"/> In the 1980s, deregulation also involved and heavily changed the port industry, with harbour boards abolished, and replaced by more commercially focused companies. Many port jobs were lost, though shipping costs fell.<ref name="MODERNERA"/>