page_title: Chelsea Sugar Refinery
section_title: Second port on the Waitemata
hierarchical_section_title: Chelsea Sugar Refinery / Wider impact / Second port on the Waitemata
caption_attribution_description: One of the footpaths leading through the grounds of Chelsea Sugar Refinery
context_page_description: New Zealand Sugar Company Limited is a long-established business and landmark in Birkenhead, New Zealand, located on the northern shore of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour. The company is also known colloquially as "Chelsea Sugar", taking reference from the company's branded sugar "Chelsea", and the site is also colloquially known as the "Chelsea Sugar Refinery", or "sugar works".
  The refinery was established in 1884, and remains New Zealand's main source of sugar products. This position remained even after New Zealand's deregulation opened the markets in the 1980s to foreign competition, and products are also exported overseas. The refinery also has one of Auckland's deepwater ports, with handysize ships importing raw sugar globally every six weeks.
context_section_description: The site was chosen due to the deepwater access, allowing a port to be built in 1884. Raw sugar came from Fiji, Cuba, Australia, Indonesia, and Peru for refining, and until the building of the Auckland Harbour Bridge, the finished products were shipped out from the wharf. All other commodities, such as coal, food, and mail, were also handled by Chelsea Wharf.
  This port continues to accept ships, generally handysize bulk carriers, delivering up to 30,000 tons of raw sugar. It remains private, but arrivals at the port are recorded by the Ports of Auckland and subject to Customs and MAF regulations.  As the ships generally exceed 500 gross register tons (GRT), the ships require pilotage, managed by the Ports of Auckland's Harbour Control.
  Some of the land was in the ownership of the Ports of Auckland, and leased to Chelsea.  In 1997, approval was granted for Chelsea to purchase the land, a total of nine hectares.
  The port is located up-harbour from the Harbour Bridge, thus enforcing a large central span (243.8 m) and height (43.27 m at high tide).
caption: One of the footpaths leading through the grounds
exif: {}