NZ Post's Auckland Processing Centre (APC) – the new international gateway for parcels and mail entering and leaving New Zealand – is now fully operational with the New Zealand Customs Service (Customs) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) on site.
NZ Post Chief Executive David Walsh says the Auckland Processing Centre being fully operational as New Zealand's international gateway is a milestone moment, marking a new era of innovation, efficiency and sustainability as e-commerce continues to grow.
"The APC is a critical piece of infrastructure that will benefit New Zealand as e-commerce continues to grow here and internationally, as well as supporting New Zealand export businesses that are trading internationally. In the years to come we expect Kiwis to shop online more often, with an increased dependency on a delivery network that is reliable and offers greater visibility in real time. NZ Post is proud to be investing in productivity and scale efficiency," says Walsh.
Auckland Processing Centre quick facts
- The APC is 30,000m2 and can process up to 30,000 parcels per hour at capacity
- The APC houses NZ Post, MPI and Customs operations, working together in the same location with modern, state-of-the-art technology
- There are 300 transport movements that take place every day to and from the APC
- 3 electric trucks service the Airport to APC route
- It takes just 10 mins for an item to travel from the international area to the domestic area of the APC for processing
"The Auckland Processing Centre is the biggest investment we've made in our network to date and a facility that has been specifically built to accommodate NZ Post alongside Customs and MPI; combining international and domestic processing on one site for the first time. Parcels entering the country now pass through Customs and MPI processes and then are injected straight into the domestic network, significantly streamlining our operations."
"As New Zealand's international gateway, the APC has been co-designed with MPI and Customs. The site includes enhanced technology to vastly improve the security and processing efficiency for parcels entering and leaving NZ, and enables MPI and Customs to identify border threats more effectively and efficiently," says Walsh.
Customs Chief Executive and Comptroller, Christine Stevenson, says the joint Customs and MPI inspection facility at the APC has been designed to maximise productivity and results. "Working in partnership on this large and complex project, we have implemented the most effective up-to-date risk assessment and detection capabilities to help target risk-items in advance of their arrival in New Zealand. These changes are already
making a difference, helping Customs identify more illicit imports and provide the most efficient border clearance services, both now and into the future."
MPI Biosecurity New Zealand Commissioner North, Mike Inglis, says "We have been working closely with NZ Post and our border colleagues to introduce new technology and processes that will put us in a strong position to respond to rising volumes of international parcels and mail, and evolving biosecurity threats in the future.
State-of-the-art scanning technology is a feature of the APC. With the innovative use of new data and intelligence tools, we will focus on items that pose the greatest biosecurity threat, therefore reducing the likelihood of incursions and ensuring we protect our primary industries."
