Waterfront industrial with broad appeal

A substantial waterfront facility with large-scale marine infrastructure and scope for a range of heavy industrial uses has surfaced in Port Whangārei, Bayleys brokers say.

Bayleys Commercial in the North director Nigel Ingham, together with colleague Lee Edwards, is marketing the freehold property at 4 Fraser Street for sale by negotiation, with price expectations north of $6,000,000.

The 2.063ha (more or less) site combines approximately 6,269sqm of workshops, offices and marine facilities with extensive yard areas, direct harbour access and an 800-tonne capacity slipway.

Ingham says the facility's scale and configuration offer several potential pathways for purchasers, including continued marine use, engineering, manufacturing and other heavy industrial activities, as well as longer-term refurbishment or redevelopment.

“The property has been assembled around substantial industrial operations. It provides large workshop areas, high-stud accommodation, offices, yards and direct access to the water within a single freehold landholding.

“For marine operators, the attraction is an established facility capable of supporting vessel haul-out, maintenance and engineering. Other purchasers may see an adaptable industrial base with the land, zoning and improvements to accommodate a broader range of activities.”

Developed between the 1960s and 1980s, the improvements comprise:

• A 1,880sqm dome containing a 12 metre-high boating workshop, with an adjoining self-contained, two-storey annex and direct access to the slipway;
• A 4,050 sqm workshop complex with partitioned work areas, varying stud heights and integrated offices;
• A standalone 339sqm office building.

Bayleys Commercial in the North broker Lee Edwards says the property’s position within Whangārei’s established marine servicing and refit cluster strengthens its strategic value.

“The surrounding network of shipyards, haul-out facilities and specialist engineering, fabrication and vessel-maintenance businesses means an incoming operator would become part of an existing marine ecosystem.

“Acquiring an 800-tonne slipway and more than 6,000sqm of supporting accommodation within that network provides a platform for expansion, consolidation or the introduction of complementary marine services,” he says.

The property is located approximately four kilometres from both Whangārei’s central business district and State Highway 1, and 8.5 kilometres from Whangārei Airport.

Access by water is via Whangārei Harbour, with the property about 20 kilometres by boat from Whangārei Heads via the shipping channel.

Ingham says the landholding may also appeal to purchasers whose strategy centres on its broader potential rather than continued use of all the marine infrastructure.

“Waterfront industrial facilities operate within a narrow set of physical requirements. Direct water access must be supported by suitable haul-out infrastructure, workshops, manoeuvring space and zoning that accommodates intensive activity.

“Here the essential physical elements are already in place, while more than two hectares of land in Heavy Industrial Zone preserves scope to adapt or reposition the property over time.”

A portion of the office accommodation is leased to a forestry investment manager, returning a net annual income of $46,350 plus GST and outgoings. Its seven year lease commenced in April 2025 and runs until March 2032, with one 11 year right of renewal, fixed annual rent increases of three percent and a market review in April 2030.

“The tenancy contributes income while leaving the majority of the property available for a new owner’s plans,” Ingham says. “It is that combination of immediate utility, specialised marine capability and longer-term flexibility that defines this waterfront opportunity.”