Maersk coldstore earns top green rating at Ruakura Superhub

Global logistics giant Maersk has achieved the highest possible sustainability certification for its new coldstore facility at Hamilton’s Ruakura Superhub, earning a 6 Green Star rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council.

The 18,000sqm facility, designed to limit its environmental footprint, was recognised for its environmentally conscious construction and operational design.

The facility includes solar panels on its rooftops, a CO2-based refrigeration system (rather than ammonia), rainwater harvesting and reuse systems, and electric vehicle charging stations for both cars and trucks.

The project is being hailed as a model for sustainable industrial development and a significant step forward for the Ruakura Superhub.

“It’s right in line with our vision to grow Ruakura Superhub as a bastion of productivity, resilience and sustainability and a more than worthy addition to the green star ratings achieved by other major facilities in our precinct,” the developer says.

Maersk opened the $150 million cold storage facility early last year and is the company’s biggest infrastructure investment in New Zealand. 

Located in the “golden triangle” between Auckland and Tauranga, it will move goods between transport modes such as rail and truck throughout the region which sees 65% of New Zealand’s total freight flow.