Port Report

1 Maritime
1.1 Port Facilities 1.2 Docking Ability 1.3 Storage Capabilities 1.4 Access
1.5 Environmental Issues 1.6 Expansion 1.7 Skilled Labour 1.8 Legal Issues

2 Municipal
2.1 Hospitals 2.2 Education 2.3 Housing 2.4 Access 2.5 Worship
2.6 Fire Services 2.7 Water systems

3 Socio/Cultural
3.1 Legal Driving Age 3.2 Libraries 3.3 Golf 3.4 Polytechnic
3.5 Legal Drinking Age 3.6 Lifestyle Blocks 3.7 Flatting
3.8 Fast-food in New Zealand

 

Conclusion
Recommendations
References
Appendix A Berthing Breakdown
Appendix B Shipping Distances
Cover of Port Report
Copyright



Terms of Reference

The intention of this report is to analyse the three major factors, which have bearing on an oil exploration company from overseas establishing a base in Timaru. These factors have been determined by a large cross-section of people to be Municipal, Maritime and Socio/economic factors, and as such this report will deal with each factor in its own section.
The report has been compiled in response to a request from the Oil Company who have commissioned this report The report has been put together with the express purpose of establishing the viability and suitability of Timaru as support for an offshore oil exploration development. Each of the afore-mentioned sections has been individually assessed and reported on by an appropriately designated colleague and summarised for presentation.
Main points to be established include harbour safety, depth, and access. Repair facilities, fuel access, and goods service also. Other factors to be covered include health facilities, housing, entertainment, sporting and cultural amenities, behaviours, and laws.

Procedure

The methods used in writing this report will be outlined in the next paragraphs. As there were four members of the team writing this report each member has been assigned a particular field to cover. Gretel has covered the Municipal section, Max the Socio/Economic section, Phil the Maritime section and Mark has the responsibility of combining, analysing, and constructing an executive summary, references, and the general formatting of the report.

Findings are based on personal visits to appropriate sites (port, council chambers, golf courses), accessing websites, reference books, and by phone and email.

Due to time restrictions on the completion of the report each individual has abridged their report and analysis to eight or nine sections and these are further compromised in the executive summary, conclusions and recommendations.p>


Executive Summary

RE: TIMARU PORT AS AN APPROPRIATE LANDBASE FOR AN OFFSHORE DRILLING AND EXPLORATION FACILITY.

The recommendation of the authors of this report is that Timaru would be the preferred choice as the landbase for drilling and exploration off the Chatham Rise.


1 Maritime

1.1 Port Facilities

The Port offers excellent facilities in the way of Cargo handling and the handling of Bulk liquids, which will be necessary in the terms of our venture.

For any big containers, they have two Liebherr mobile harbour cranes, coupled with a number of forklifts, which range in size from 4-38 tonne. They also operate a Navis SPARCS tracking and ship planning system at the Container yard. This system also has a WDI facility.

The Port is also specialised in handling difficult Break Bulk and Project Cargoes, so there will be no problems with the handling of the specialised equipment we will be using. Importantly, there are also facilities for the handling, storage, and distribution of Bulk Liquids. They regularly handle large consignments of Fuels, so, for our purposes, the facilities here are excellent.

There is also a Maritime Repair Service available, which an handle most of our major repair requirements. The only thing the Port lacks is a Dry Dock facility, though such facilities are available at Lyttleton a nd would be available for our purposes.

1.2 Docking Ability
The Port at Timaru offers some excellent Docking facilities and would be easily capable of handling the size of vessels that will be required.

The approach channel is capable of handling some reasonably large vessels, being 250m wide, the depth of the channel is maintained at 11m at LWOST, and the Channel is 1.5 nautical miles long.

Some of the larger vessels to visit the Port are listed below to demonstrate the size of vessel possible:

·Sky Princess (240mLOA)
·Odense Maersk (50,600 DWT)
·Ionian Sailor (10.25m Draft)

The approach way to the inner harbour area is available 24 hours a day, along with a 24 hour piloting service. The Port is serviced with two vessels to assist in the berthing and unberthing of larger vessels, these being the tug "Te Maru" which is capable of a bollard pull of 36 tonnes. The tug is further supplemented by the pilot launch "Ohau", which provides a further 5 tonne bollard pull.

The actual inner harbour area provides an extensive 1325m of docking space, though 165m of this is allocated to Fisheries, and the Repair Wharf accommodates a further 200m.

1.3 Storage capabilities

There are available large amounts of storage space to use, both covered and uncovered. This space breaks down as follows:
· 5 Hectares of paved storage near the North Mole container yard and freight station
· 9 hectares of unpaved storage space, most of which is located close to wharves

There is plenty of storage space that will be available to us, and the covered storage will be available for weather sensitive equipment. Refer to Appendix A for a detailed breakdown.

There is plenty of storage space that will be available to us, and the covered storage will be available for weather sensitive equipment.

1.4 Access
Timaru offers two important things in terms of access, these being it's geographical position in relation to the planned drilling site, and the internal road and rail access for any land transportation required.

The Port is located centrally in the South Island, and is close to the proposed drilling area, and is in an ideal position for our needs. It is also close to a number of other ports, for instance, if we need to use the Dry dock facilities at the Lyttleton Port, it is only 118 nautical miles away.

A full breakdown of Distance and steaming Times is available in Appendix B.

In terms of internal land access, Timaru is in an ideal location for our needs. There is rail access close to the Port itself, and the Rail transportation within New Zealand is very good. If we needed to fly equipment into Christchurch and transport it to Timaru, there are no tunnels to restrict the size and movement. the same is true for internal road access, the roads are very straight, and there is relatively frquent transportation of large loads on the roads.

1.5 Environmental Issues

There are a number of Environmental concerns which will need to be addressed before we start drilling, but they are by no means insurmountable.

There is a very large fishing/fish processing industry located at the Port, and there are frequently a number of fishing vessels in the harbour. We would have to address any concerns that arise over possible contamination of the harbour and surrounding area, and at the drilling site itself. the fish processing area is located in it's own, somewhat isolated wharf area, and there should be no major problems in overcoming the issues. Coupled with this are the numbers of other sensitive cargoes that are loaded/unloaded at the Port, the majority of which are food related. We would have to be careful that none of our operations threaten these areas.

Located directly beside the Port is Caroline Bay which is a beach as well as nature reserve, and there is a large amount of wildlife located there. Due to its close proximity to the Port, we will have to pay considerable attention to, in no way damaging the area. the fact that there is already fuel storage taking place at the Port, and this hasn't affected the Bay area, although we have to be careful about the Bay, our operations shouldn't affect it to any great extent.

1.6 Expansion

We are not limited to the spaces set aside purely for the Port, there is substantial land available around the Port area for outside interests.there are 24 hectares of land available for either development or tenancy, 20 hectares of which are available to third party developers for the following:
· Storage
· Distribution
· Development of processing facilities

If need arises, there are several sites available at Evans Bay which can be used for the further development of deep water berths if needed.


1.7 Skilled Labour

One of the greatest strengths of the Port is the skilled labour force that will be at our disposal, ranging from container handling to ship repairs. there will be no problems regards the handling of the vessels or any of the equipment we will be bringing in as the workers are well versed in the handling of special cargoes, and they have a state-of-the-art monitoring system to avoid any problems.The major skill areas are as follows:
· Marine repairs services
· The unloading of large and awkward cargoes
· The Tug Boat crews who are well versed in dealing with large vessels
· Full Stevedoring Services
· Cargo certification is available from SGS Ltd.
· Fumigation
· The North Mole freight station and marine services are ISO 9002 Certified


1.8 Legal Issues

The major legal issue will be dealing with the Resource Management Act of 1991 which dictates the requirements that we will need to adhere to in terms of any development and actions that affect the environment. In particular the Act deals with the following:

·Water and the protection of damage by pollutants
·The disposal of waste by-product
·Land Development

In order to proceed further, we will need to obtain from the Timaru Authorities a Resource consent that will allow us to proceed with our activities. We will need to allow a reasonable amount of time to achieve this.

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2 Municipal



2.1 Hospitals

2.2(a) Pre school education

Timaru is well catered for in term of pre-school education. Free kindergartens and play-centres service most areas.

2.2(b) Primary

Timaru boasts a large number of good quality primary schools with most suburbs having schools within walking distance.
Primary schools include:
· Two Catholic schools
· One Intermediate school (Watlington Intermediate) for forms 1 and 2 girls and boys (11 and 12 year olds approximately).

2.2(c) Secondary

There are five secondary schools in Timaru, two of which are co-educational and three are single-sexed. Of the secondary schools, three offer boarding facilities.

The secondary schools are as follows:

Roncalli College a Catholic secondary school, co-educational (Non Boarding)
Craighead Diocesan School (girls only from approximately 11 years old, Boarding available)
Timaru Girls High school (Boarding available)
Timaru Boys High School (Boarding available)
Mountainveiw High School (co-educational, Non Boarding)

2.2(d) Tertiary Education

Aoraki Polytech offers high quality Tertiary education. It offers both short-term and longer courses. Cantec Polytech also has a smaller campus in Timaru offering a select number of courses.

Timaru is in close proximity to three major universities. Otago, Canterbury and Lincoln universities are all within approximately two hours drive.

2.2(e) Fees

· Public Primary and Secondary education (13 years of education) is free.
Craighead and Roncalli College, being private schools, have school fees.

· Tertiary education costs are about 75% government paid. Fees depend on the course and education, but full time course fees; are typically from about $2000p.a.

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2.3 Housing

In Timaru a wide range of accommodation is available. Accommodation in all price ranges can be obtained

2.3.1 Housing standards in Timaru are high while prices are relatively low compared to other main centres, for example Christchurch, Auckland, Dunedin and Wellington.

Median house price

3 bedroom NZ$90,000
2 Bedroom NZ$82,500


2.3.2 Housing rentals are plentiful in Timaru. There are a wide range of both detached dwellings and attached dwellings (termed flats)

House rental average prices:

· 2 bedroom unit NZ$125 per week
· 3 bedroom house $130 - NZ$150 per week
· bedroom house $160 - NZ$170 per week

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2.4 Access

2.4.(a) Timaru has its own domestic airport situated at Levels, 8 kms from Timaru. It provides daily flights to Christchurch and Auckland International airports.
A bus service links to Christchurch Airport two to three times daily.

2.4.(b)Timaru also has a rail service on the main trunk line with daily services both north and southwards.

2.5 Worship

2.5.(a)New Zealand is historically a Christian nation but most religions are catered for in Timaru to some extent. Timaru has many churches but does not have a synagogue or a mosque.

2.5.(b)List of churches and their details

· Assembly of God: Cnr Church and Theodosia Streets. Ph 64 3 688-9498
· Baptist Church: Wilson Street. Ph 64 3 688-8018
· Chalmers Presbyterian Church: 65 Elizabeth Street. Ph 64 3 684-5714
· Church Street Bible Chapel: Church Street. Ph 64 3 688-0419
· Elim Pentecostal Church: 7 Elizabeth Street. Ph 64 3 688-3515
· Gleniti Baptist Church and Community Center: 58 Gleniti Rd. Ph 64 3 686-2829
· Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall: 30 Old North Rd. Ph 64 3 684-6185
· Jesus-Christ of Latter Day Saints: Pages Road. Ph 64 3 686-0931
· New Life Centre: 134 Morgans Road. Ph 64 3 686-1618
· Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Basilica: 7 Craigie Ave. Ph 64 3 684-4263
· Salvation Army: Cnr Wai-iti and Otipua Roads. Ph 64 3 684-7139
· Seventh Day Adventist: Rathmore St. Ph 64 3 684-3050
· St David's Union: Marchwiel. Ph 64 3 684-5625
· St John's Anglican: 125 Wai-iti Road. Ph 64 3 688-9213
· St Joseph's Timaru North Catholic: 42 Douglas Street. Ph 64 3 688-8666
· St Mary's Anglican: Church Street. Ph 64 3 688-8377
· St Paul's Presbyterian: 28 Seddon Street. Ph 64 3 688-1626
· St Peter's Anglican. 11 Otipua Road. Ph 64 3 688-8463
· St Philip's and All Saints: Luxmoore Road. Ph 64 3 688-6341
· St Stephen's Presbyterian: Main North Washdyke and 349 Wai-iti Rd. Ph 64 3 686-0981
· The Bahai Faith: Red Cross Rooms, Bank St. Ph 64 3 688-6027
· Timaru Apostolic Church - Senior Citizens: 22 Church St. Ph 64 3 684-3846
· Trinity Presbyterian: Trinity West: Church Street
· Trinity College Road: Ph 64 3 688-1834
· Woodlands Road Methodist: Ph 64 3 688-8401


2.6 Fire Services

2.6.(a)Fire services in Timaru are of a high standard. Timaru has two Fire Service stations; one centrally placed minutes from the port of Timaru, and one on the northern outskirts of the city at Washdyke. The average call out to the port of Timaru is 4 minutes. Shell Oil Company has its own Fire fighting facility at the port and this is also utilized by the Challenge Oil Company

2.7 Water systems

2.7.(a)Timaru has an excellent water system due to its proximity at this time to relatively unpolluted rivers. With the recent expansion in the dairy industry and its likely continued expansion, water quality issues have been raised of late, but it is likely that the Pareora River (Source River for the Timaru water supply) should not be greatly affected.
Drought conditions over recent summers have resulted in water restrictions being put in place over parts of the summer but these have pertained to domestic garden use and farming irrigation only. Domestic household water has been little affected during times of water restriction.

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3 Socio/Cultural

3.1 Legal Driving Age

The legal driving age in New Zealand is 15. That age applies for the whole of New Zealand. There are certain provisions and rules that are outlined and one suspects that they are similar to the laws in the United States. There are some key differences that anyone from the United States should be aware of. For people that are under the age of 25 there are three stages to obtaining a full driver's license. The first step is sitting the learner's license followed by the restricted license then thirdly the full license. Those three steps are compulsory in obtaining a full driver's license. For anyone that is 25 or older there are only two steps; they must hold a restricted license for only six months then they are able to apply for a full license. The total cost not amounting to more than $246-00. As mentioned before there are some key differences between our two countries, one being that in New Zealand one drives on the left side of the road and that we use kilometers instead of miles, 60 miles/hr is equivalent to 100 kilometers/hr. An easy to read New Zealand road code listing all rules and regulations can be obtained from the Automobile Association.

3.2 Libraries

The Timaru district has one public library as well as neighboring town Temuka, Geraldine and Fairlie also having public libraries. The Timaru library also has a children's library attached to the adult library. The four libraries have in excess of 185,000 books and have an excellent and up to date range. The Timaru library is open seven days a week and is in the process of installing computers with Internet access. All libraries are free to join. Members are allowed to borrow up to 20 books at a time and for a period of a month. They also provide educational videos, tapes and CD's and are well set up to keep children entertained while the adults browse in peace.

3.3 Golf

Golf is a popular sport with all age groups in the Timaru district; there are no fewer than 12 courses with the Levels club being the only championship course in the district. The Timaru township has some excellent courses with membership fees being some of the lowest in the country. The two main courses in Timaru city are the Gleniti and Highfield courses with both clubs offering full bar and club services. The annual average membership prices for the Timaru and surrounding towns are as follows.
· $310 full mens
· $272 full ladies
· $562 married couple
· $245 veteran
· $75 school age

The prices mentioned are in New Zealand currency and there is never a waiting list to become a member.

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3.4 Polytechnic

Timaru has a well-established and renowned polytechnic. It is the largest learning institution in Timaru and attracts students from all over the world. Situated in the center of Timaru, it offers a wide range of courses from business computing to hospitality. The very affordable course expenses make it possible for people of all economic backgrounds to participate. Courses also are available on a part-time basis and also at a self-paced level to accommodate people who might have other commitments. The Polytech has a large range of services including a cafeteria, nurse/doctor access and career counselors. A full brochure of day and night course can be obtained at the following address.
Aoraki Polytech or website: http://www.aoraki.ac.nz/
Private Bag 902
Timaru

3.5 Legal Drinking Age

The drinking age in New Zealand has recently been lowered from 20 to 18, and this applies throughout the whole country. Along with these recent law changes there have been dramatic rises in the fines that are being handed out for under-age drinkers and for publicans who serve minors. It has become common practice to be asked for identification prior to entering a bar or nightclub.

3.6 Lifestyle Blocks

With Timaru being surrounded by lush green pastures and rolling downlands, set against the backdrop of the Southern Alps, it is no wonder that it has become a popular choice for many families to live a short distance from town. It is possible to capture the peace and quiet that busy lives crave for. The South Island has a very affordable real estate market and lifestyle blocks from 2-10 acres are very popular. Timaru has a number of excellent real estate agencies that are only too happy to take one around the countryside to show property that one might be interested in.

3.7 Flatting

Flatting has long been a tradition in New Zealand with young adults leaving the family home to experience living with friends or acquaintances. There is a wide range of flats/houses available in Timaru ranging from 1 to 5 bedrooms in various conditions depending on price which can range from $50 to $250. Living in a flat/apartment with three or four people can be an excellent way of cheaper living as expenses are divided by all living in the house, whilst meeting new people and gaining independence. It is not unusual to see an ad in the paper looking for flat/room mates

3.8 Fast-food in New Zealand

Traditionally fish and chips are most New Zealanders preferred take-out dinner (or take-awes as it is called in New Zealand). While it is still very popular the take-out culture has diversified to where a variety of fast food establishments are available in the Timaru district. Apart from various Asian choices the American influence has most definitely filtered through with two Macdonald's, a KFC and more recently the arrival of the British Burger King, all of which have become very popular choices for New Zealand families.


Conclusion

In my overall summary of the Timaru Port as an appropriate facility for the basis of an offshore drilling and exploration base I have broken my analysis into three main sections.

From a maritime viewpoint the port has 24-hour access, consistent sea and weather conditions, and good docking ability for a wide range of shipping and all types of equipment can be unloaded. Access to the port by land (road and rail) is excellent, and the port boasts large storage facilities as well as land for lease or purchase, for expansion, on the port site. There is a skilled labour force for marine repairs available but unfortunately no substantial dry-dock. The only legal issue involved is the Resource Management Act, which exists throughout New Zealand.

Municipally the city has three hospitals, two with 24-hour surgical and general medical facilities. Educationally the area is well served with numerous pre-school, primary, and secondary institutions as well as one tertiary polytechnic. Three universities are also within a two-hour drive. An active police and fire service exists. On the port Shell Oil also have a fire fighting facility which they actively share. The local water is also of a good volume and cleanliness, whether for fishing, drinking, or sporting on.

Culturally the local population is predominantly of a White European Christian background but there are also a lot of diverse minorities. The area is well appointed in public facilities like libraries, cinemas, theatres, swimming pools, and for many other recreational activities. The fast food culture is expanding, but most old favourites are available (MacDonalds). The legal drinking age is 18 and the driving license 15. A variety of restaurants, pubs, bars, and nightclubs are available to suit most appetites.


Recommendations


The recommendation of the people writing this report is that the use of Timaru Port as a base for exploration and drilling on the Chatham Rise would be a sound decision financially and culturally for your company. Issues raised appear to be easily surmountable and on reflection of other options available it would seem easily the most suitable area in which to resettle a large community with the least disturbance to their families, income and lifestyle. A happy workforce also corresponds to a happy company and our project has found that this area would give the best value per dollar spent.

 

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References

http://aoraki.ac.nz
http://www.canterburypages.co.nz/explore/timaru/index.html
www.highfieldgolf.homestead.com/
http://www.port-timaru.co.nz
http://www.realenz.co.nz/misc/menutypeOK.cfm?menutype=residential
http://www.southisland.org.nz/html/timaruservices.html
www.timaru.com/


Appendix A Berthing Breakdown

Appendix B Shipping Distances

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©Gretel Moir, Max Wilson, Phil Baird, Mark Medlicott.
Aoraki Polytech 2001