A.P. Moller – Maersk’s cold chain facility at the Ruakura Superhub has received a 6 Star Green Star NZ Design & As-Built rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), marking the first cold storage facility in the country to achieve this level of sustainability certification.
Opened in February 2024, the 18,000 m² facility is Maersk’s largest infrastructure investment in New Zealand. Located on the Auckland-Tauranga corridor, it allows for seamless multimodal transfers between rail, road, and ocean transport. The project was delivered by Apollo Projects and designed with a strong focus on energy efficiency and emissions reduction.
The Ruakura Cold Store includes advanced technologies such as a transcritical CO₂ refrigeration system that captures and reuses waste heat, condensate recovery for cooling tower misters, and rainwater harvesting. It also features Lithium Reach and Forklifts for low-emission operations and a rooftop solar array producing over 1.52 MW of renewable energy for onsite use.
Green Star is an internationally recognised sustainability rating system that assesses environmental performance in design, construction, and operation, with six stars representing the highest rating available.
“This facility is a clear example of how high-performance, lower greenhouse gas industrial buildings can and should be delivered in New Zealand,” said Andrew Eagles, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Green Building Council.
Paul Lloyd, Executive Director of Apollo Projects, added: “This milestone reflects what’s possible when innovation, decarbonisation, and operational excellence are embedded from the outset.”
