A transport union fears more jobs losses are imminent if a national ports strategy isn't put in place following the collapse of Timaru's container port.
Global container lines Maersk and Hamburg Sud have announced they would no longer call into Timaru from mid-September and will now steam direct to Napier from Otago.
Rail and Maritime Transport Union general secretary Wayne Butson says shipping companies have too much power, are not covered under the Commerce Act and a national ports strategy needs to be implemented.
This would involve deciding the specific roles of each port - including which ports would be container ports - to stop a constant reshuffle.
New Zealand ports are mainly owned by Kiwis as they are either wholly or majority owned by local bodies.
Mr Butson says ports are having to fork out large sums of money to invest in infrastructure as part of contract deals with shipping companies.
However, these contracts are often short term which means ports are left out of pocket when the shipping companies eventually move on.
"The result is a boom and bust business cycle for the ports which is no good for working families, the ratepayers in those towns and cities or for New Zealand as a whole," he said.
He says "dozens" of jobs will be axed if this doesn't go ahead.
Green Party transport spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter agrees, adding that New Zealand exporters face increased transport costs without a clear plan in place.
"The job losses at Timaru are the latest sign that the Government's failure to invest in a plan for New Zealand ports is hurting exporters and workers," she said in a statement.
"New Zealand ends up with wasted investments and higher overall export costs, while the foreign-owned shipping companies benefit from lower port fees."
NZN