KiwiRail regional freight hub

The land to construct and operate the freight hub was designated in June 2023.

Photo shows huge concrete area with tracks, trains, trucks and sheds, surrounded by green space and trees.

KiwiRail is proposing to develop a new intermodal rail and freight hub near Bunnythorpe.

In April 2021 KiwiRail lodged a Notice of Requirement to designate land for constructing and operating the freight hub.

Submissions were invited and the public hearing, overseen by independent commissioners, finished on October 15, 2021.

The designation became operative on 13 June 2023. Read more in the following parts of the District Plan:

Section 24: Designations(PDF, 4MB)

Volume 2 Section D: KiwiRail freight hub designation conditions(PDF, 554KB)

KiwiRail's decision on Council's recommendation

We received KiwiRail's decision on 11 April 2022 and notified all submitters, directly affected parties, landowners and occupiers.

Four appeals were lodged with the Environment Court.

Kiwirail Freight Hub Decision 11 April 2022(PDF, 893KB)

Commissioners' recommendation

Commissioners' report on KiwiRail's Notice of Requirement for freight hub, 28 Feb 2022 [pages 1 to 343](PDF, 16MB)

Commissioners' report on KiwiRail's Notice of Requirement for freight hub, 28 Feb 2022 [pages 344 to 374](PDF, 8MB)

Commissioners' report on KiwiRail's Notice of Requirement for freight hub, 28 Feb 2022 [pages 375 to 394](PDF, 4MB)

Commissioners' report on KiwiRail's Notice of Requirement for freight hub, 28 Feb 2022 [pages 395 to end](PDF, 11MB)

Project info

If you have any questions about the project, please email the KiwiRail project team at regionalgrowthhub@kiwirail.co.nz.

If you have any questions about the process to designate the land, please contact Keegan Aplin-Thane, Principal Planner at Keegan.Aplin-Thane@pncc.govt.nz

Notice of Requirement and supporting information

You can access the notice and supporting information below, or view hard copies at the following locations: Ashhurst Library, Bunnythorpe School, Feilding Library, Palmerston North Central Library, and the Palmerston North City Council customer service centre.

Further information: S92 requests and responses

First request and response

Council officers reviewed the Notice of Requirement and identified a number of areas where more information is needed to understand the effects of the proposal. We issued a further information request to KiwiRail on 14 December 2020, which you can read here.

s92 letter: Request for further information(PDF, 1MB)

KiwiRail provided a response on 15 February 2021.

S92 letter: KiwiRail response(PDF, 120KB)

Appendix A: S92 Response Table(PDF, 706KB)

Appendix B: Updated Notice of Requirement conditions (tracked changes)(PDF, 240KB)

Appendix C: Notice of Requirement conditions (updated S92)(PDF, 293KB)

Attachment 1 S92 Response: Geotech(PDF, 116KB)

Attachment 2A S92 Response: Ecology(PDF, 475KB)

Attachment 2B Updated Technical Assessment: Ecology (tracked changes)(PDF, 982KB)

Attachment 3 S92 Response: Design, Construction and Operations(PDF, 1MB)

Attachment 4A S92 Response: Lighting(PDF, 749KB)

Attachment 4B: Updated Lighting Report (tracked changes)(PDF, 9MB)

Attachment 5 S92 Response: Contaminated Land(PDF, 9MB)

Attachment 6 S92 Response: Stormwater(PDF, 217KB)

Attachment 7 S92 Response: Noise and Vibration(PDF, 7MB)

Attachment 8A S92 Response: Economic(PDF, 5MB)

Attachment 8B S92 Response: Economics(PDF, 6MB)

Attachment 9 S92 Response: Transport(PDF, 13MB)

Attachment 10 Appendix PN Freight Hub: Graphic Sections(PDF, 40MB)

Attachment 10 Appendix PN Freight Hub: Landscape Plan(PDF, 28MB)

Attachment 10 PN Freight Hub: Landscape Plan (low res)(PDF, 2MB)

Attachment 10 PN Freight Hub: Graphic Sections (low res)(PDF, 2MB)

Attachment 10 S92 Response: Landscape and Visual (plus spatial plan)(PDF, 1MB)

Attachment 11 S92 Response: Planning(PDF, 3MB)

Attachment 12 S92 Response: Social Impact(PDF, 6MB)

Attachment 13 S92 Q 187 Response: Updated Appendix 2 Schedule(PDF, 316KB)

Attachment 14 S92 Q 188 Response: Updated Rail Yard Concept Plan(PDF, 2MB)

These documents weren't submitted with the s92 response, but are referred to:

Palmerston North area traffic model: Model development and validation report(PDF, 8MB)

Palmerston North area traffic model: Peer review report(PDF, 278KB)

Second request and response

We issued a second request for further information on 28 April 2021:

S92 request 2: Further information required â€“ Air quality and dust effects(PDF, 294KB)

KiwiRail response to S92 request 2: Air quality and dust effects(PDF, 1MB)

Third request and response

We issued a third request for further information on 7 May 2021:

S92 request 3: Further information required - Issues raised by submitters(PDF, 294KB)

Kiwirail response to S92 request 3: Issues raised by submitters(PDF, 2MB)

Council reporting team technical reports for hearing

Below are Council's section 42A technical reports on KiwiRail's Notice of Requirement. These reports consider submissions, and information provided by KiwiRail, on a range of technical topics relevant to the Notice of Requirement. Each report contains an executive summary which captures the conclusions and recommendations of the author.

Air quality: Deborah Ryan(PDF, 720KB)

Ecology: Justine Quinn(PDF, 647KB)

Economic impacts: Shane Vuletich(PDF, 902KB)

Landscape and visual effects: Chantal Whitby(PDF, 420KB)

Lighting: Glen Wright(PDF, 216KB)

Noise: Nigel Lloyd(PDF, 1MB)

Palmerston North City Council infrastructure assets: Robert van Bentum(PDF, 838KB)

Planning report companion document: Effects and recommendations summary table(PDF, 404KB)

Planning: Anita Copplestone and Phillip Percy(PDF, 3MB)

Railway track design, construction and operation: Michael Than(PDF, 238KB)

Social impacts: Amelia Linzey(PDF, 469KB)

Stormwater and flooding: David Arseneau and Reiko Baugham(PDF, 474KB)