Editing Transport in New Zealand (section)

===Coastal shipping===
As noted above, coastal shipping has long played a significant role in New Zealand. It was very efficient for moving large amounts of goods, and relatively quick. In 1910, it was noted in a discussion with the Minister of Railways that a fruit grower at [[Port Albert, New Zealand|Port Albert]] (near [[Wellsford]], less than 150&nbsp;km from Auckland) had found it cheaper to ship his canned fruit to [[Lyttelton, New Zealand|Lyttelton]] in the South Island by boat, and thence back to Auckland again, rather than pay rail freight rates from nearby Wellsford to Auckland.<ref name="EARNINGS">{{cite news|title=Railway Earnings – A Ministerial Thunderbolt|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=PBH19100610.2.25&srpos=45&e=-------10--41-byDA---2parnell+tunnel--|access-date=14 January 2011|work=Poverty Bay Herald|date=10 June 1910}}</ref>

The industry however also faced a number of troubled times as well, such as during World War II when ship [[requisitioning]] caused shortages in the transport operation.<ref>[http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Econ-c15-31.html War Economy – Coastal Shipping] (from ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45'', BAKER, J. V. T.; Historical Publications Branch, Department of Internal Affairs Wellington, New Zealand 1965)</ref> While many ports reopened after the war, they (and coastal shipping in general) faced huge pressure from rail<ref name="VICTORIAN"/> (presumably now offering improved freight rates compared to the 1910 era).

After [[cabotage]] was abolished in 1994, international shipping lines became able to undertake coastal shipping as opportune to them on their international routes to New Zealand. While reducing the cargo reshipment rates for New Zealand industry, this is seen by some as a heavy blow for local competitors, who, specialised in coastal shipping only, are less able to achieve the costs savings of large lines – these can generally operate profitably even without cargo on New Zealand-internal legs of their routes, and are thus able to underbid others. The law change has been accused of having turned the New Zealand business into a '[[sunset industry]]' which will eventually die out.<ref>[http://www.nzsf.org/documents/TheCase.doc New Zealand Shipping] ([[Word document|DOC]]) (from the 'New Zealand Shipping Federation' website)</ref>

In the financial year 2003 / 2004 coastal cargo in New Zealand totalled around 8.6&nbsp;million tonnes, of which 85% was still carried by local, and 15% by overseas shipping.<ref>[http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/PDFs/coastal_shipping_cargo.pdf Coastal Shipping Cargo – 2003/03] (from a [[New Zealand Ministry of Transport|Ministry of Transport]] report, March 2005)</ref>

In 2009, the National Party announced that funding for coastal shipping and supporting infrastructure, part of the "Sea Change" plan of the previous Labour government, would be cut to a substantial degree. The move was heavily criticised, amongst others, by the Green Party,<ref>''[http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0903/S00357.htm Shock funding cut to coastal shipping]'' – [[Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand]] press release, 25 March 2009</ref> and the [[Maritime Union of New Zealand]].<ref>''[http://www.munz.org.nz/node/351 Transport Unions say sole focus on road building in infrastructure package the wrong focus for New Zealand]'' – [[Maritime Union of New Zealand]] website.</ref>

In 2017/18 coastal shipping carried about 11 million tonnes, or roughly 4% of New Zealand's freight of 278.7 million tonnes and 30.1 billion tonne-kilometres. About 4 million tonnes is on the inter-island ferries. Tankers carried 2.7 million tonnes of oil, mainly from Marsden Point. About 2 million tonnes travelled between the container ports. 1.3 million tonnes of cement was carried. Most of the other million tonnes travelled on ferries to the smaller islands.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 May 2021 |title=Coastal Shipping Investment Approach: Report 1 - State-of-Play |url=https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/resources/coastal-shipping-research/nzta-coastal-shipping-state-of-play-report.pdf |website=Waka Kotahi}}</ref>