In Brief

Is this privatisation by another name?

In February, Lyttelton Port announced ‘record revenue and profit’ for the first half of the financial year. Now Christchurch City Holdings Ltd is considering leasing the port's operations to Dubai owned DP World.

A proposal to lease the operation of Lyttelton Port to a consortium led by global ports giant DP World has reignited debate over the future of one of Christchurch's most valuable public assets.

In the 1990s, the head of the Business Roundtable dubbed New Zealand's second largest city the "People's Republic of Christchurch", owing to its staunch resistance to privatisation.

To this day, the Christchurch City Council retains ownership of a wide range of critical assets and infrastructure, from the city's airport to its broadband network. But now, the future of one of its most valuable public assets is in doubt.

In June, a consortium consisting of Dubai-based multi-national DP World and three Ngāi Tahu rūnanga made an unsolicited proposal to Christchurch City Council to take over the operations of Lyttelton Port on a long-term basis.

Although pitched as a way to bring investment to the port without actually selling it, unions warn that the proposal may amount to privatisation in all but name, pointing also to DP World's concerning record overseas.

This week on Public Interest, Ollie Neas speaks with Mark Wilson, the Lyttelton branch secretary of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, about what is known about the proposal and why unions are warning of potential job losses, weaker public accountability and profits flowing offshore.

Watch the full conversation below and subscribe to Public Interest for more discussions making sense of politics and power in Aotearoa.

Research by Hannah Patterson.

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A proposal to lease the operation of Lyttelton Port to a consortium led by global ports giant DP World has reignited debate over the future of one of Christchurch's most valuable public assets.

Read more

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