Logistics, Trade and Warehousing in Canterbury
Whakarite, Hokohoko, Putu Taonga
Quick facts
- Canterbury’s wholesale trade, transport and storage industry employs more than 26,700 people (11.2% of workers in the region).
- There are more than 5,000 businesses engaged in Canterbury’s wholesale trade, transport and storage industries.
- Wholesale trade in Canterbury generates about $1.67 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) annually (8% of the region’s income) while transport and storage generates approximately $1.18 billion (5.6% of the region’s income).
What type of work will I do?
Wholesale trade jobs in Canterbury include jobs such as warehouse manager
There are significant seasonal and permanent job opportunities in Canterbury’s wholesale trade and transport and storage sectors.
Significant employment areas in the region’s wholesale trade sector include:
- building supplies wholesaling
- grocery wholesaling
- electrical and electronic equipment wholesaling
- machinery and equipment wholesaling.
Jobs range from managing warehouses and operations, to sales and marketing and general business administration roles.
Road freight transport employs 3,466 people in Canterbury. Other large employment areas in transport and storage in Canterbury include:
- travel agency services
- short distance bus transport (including tramway)
- scheduled domestic air transport
- storage
- freight forwarding (except road).
Managing and maintaining truck fleets and storage facilities, driving freight trucks (light and heavy), and administration are typical jobs in these sectors.
What's happening in this industry?
Between 1998 and 2007 the number of jobs rose in both the wholesale trade and the transport and storage sectors. Notable areas of growth include building supplies, grocery, electrical, electronic and machinery equipment wholesaling, and road freight transport.
Canterbury’s past strong regional economic and population growth has significantly contributed to growth in wholesale trade, transport and storage. However, slowing economic growth and rising fuel costs may affect business activity in the wholesale trade, transport and storage industries in the region over the next two years.
What type of employers could I work for?
There are many large wholesalers in the region, providing building supplies, groceries, electrical and electronic equipment, and machinery. There is also a number of large transport and storage companies based in Christchurch.
These include:
- Christchurch Airport (handles nearly all domestic and international passenger and freight air transport to and from the region).
- Mainfreight (focuses on road freight transport)
- TNL (focuses on road freight transport)
- Containers Direct Intertrade Ltd (provides storage to businesses, individuals and organisations for import and export orders)
- Crown Relocations (provides storage for international and domestic relocations).
Where can I work?
Jobs in Canterbury's wholesale trade, transport and storage sectors are mainly in Christchurch. This is because the city is close to Christchurch International Airport, the South Island railway network, and State Highway 1 (SH1).
Find out more
Sources used to write this report
Updated
January 2009
