‘Smooth seas don’t make a good sailor’: The future of coastal shipping in New Zealand

The Moana Chief arriving at Port of Auckland. (Image: BusinessDesk)

Mon, 16 Jun 2025

Pacifica Shipping is the only dedicated coastal container service in New Zealand. Oliver Lewis goes to sea, briefly, to understand the future prospects of a changing industry.At 34, Drew Ordish – a third-generation mariner from Wellington – is one of the younger crew members aboard Moana Chief, a coastal container ship plying a weekly service connecting Northport, Port of Tauranga, Port of Auckland and Lyttelton Port Company.“There’s plenty of characters at sea, man. I’ve met some and I’m probably one of them...

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