A rare freehold intermodal freight hub featuring integrated rail connectivity is for sale in Rolleston, Canterbury’s fast-growing logistics capital and just minutes from Christchurch city.
Located within the Izone Business Hub, MetroPort occupies a substantial 15ha site and offers a unique combination of transport infrastructure, scale, and development potential.
“There’s nothing comparable in New Zealand,” says Colliers Christchurch Director of Industrial Sam Staite, who is managing the international campaign for the Port of Tauranga asset at 5 Baltimore Drive.
“MetroPort offers motorway access, established rail infrastructure, and significant landholdings at a time when shipping lines and logistics providers are increasingly seeking greater control across their supply chains.
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“It’s an opportunity for freight operators to consolidate and futureproof their operations on a single, rail-enabled site.”
Buyers can take immediate occupation of substantial parts of the MetroPort terminal, providing operational flexibility from day one.
“There’s strong holding income and long-term development upside too, but at its core this sale is a chance to control a strategic piece of freight infrastructure.”
It’s likely the property would suit a major freight operator, shipping line, or vertically integrated logistics provider.
It will also appeal to investors keen to capitalise on the Izone location and proximity to transport links to Christchurch International Airport and the Port of Lyttelton.
The massive freehold land parcel is minutes from State Highway 1 and the Christchurch Southern Motorway and centres on a 2.5ha intermodal terminal built in 2015, served by more than 650m of dual-carriage rail spur to KiwiRail specification.
The modern improvements also include an 18,400sq m high stud distribution warehouse completed in 2019, leased to Australian container logistics operator ACFS.
In addition to the existing infrastructure, approximately 77,000sq m of undeveloped land provides significant scope for future logistics, warehousing, or freight-related expansion.
Staite notes a broad shift underway in the freight sector with logistics companies increasingly looking to vertically integrate.
“For example, shipping lines might want more control over their end-to-end transport chain, from the wharf to the final kilometre.”
Rolleston is now the South Island’s dominant logistics node, home to three of the only dedicated, rail-serviced inland ports in greater Christchurch, at the junction of the Main South and Main West trunk lines.
Canterbury moves around 40 million tonnes of freight a year and generates 57 per cent of the South Island’s gross domestic product, according to the regional council Environment Canterbury.
Reinforcing the long-term value of strategically located infrastructure such as MetroPort, a council planning report forecasts freight growth across the South Island of 47.7 million tonnes in the 30 years from 2012 to 2042.
The Izone and adjoining Iport developments span approximately 300ha and have helped establish Rolleston as one of Canterbury’s premier industrial locations.
Staite is marketing 5 Baltimore Drive with Greg Goldfinch, National Director of Industrial at Colliers and Colliers Sydney Managing Director Gavin Bishop, reflecting the level of international interest the agency expects to attract.
MetroPort is being offered for sale through an expression of interest campaign closing at 4pm on Wednesday 19 August.
- Supplied by Colliers
