In September 1873, the Port of Tauranga was officially established by order of the Governor-General of New Zealand, Sir James Fergusson.

In 1927 the Railway Wharf was completed and used almost exclusively for coastal shipping until the visit of the James Cook in 1948 to load timber for Australia.

The opening of the Kaimai rail tunnel by Sir Rob Muldoon in 1978 substantially reduced travelling times between the port and the rest of New Zealand.

In 1989, the Harbour Board was disestablished and ownership of shares in the port passed to The Bay of Plenty and Waikato Regional Councils.

A significant development in 1999 was the establishment of New Zealand's first fully integrated inland port service, MetroPort Auckland.

The port has a total of 15 berths, of which 12 are located on the Mount Maunganui side of the harbour (general cargo such as wood, coal handling facilities, bulk liquids), while another 3 are located at the Tauranga Container Terminal at Sulphur Point on the Tauranga CBD side.

On the Mount Maunganui side of the harbour, the Port of Tauranga has 2,055m of linear (continuous) berth face.

• Net Profit After Tax (NPAT) for the year to 30 June 2021 rose 15.4% to a new record of $102.4 million.

These approaches were rebuffed by POAL (which is owned by the Auckland Regional Council, rather than listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange).

The company's long-serving Chair, David Pilkington, is due to retire in July 2022 and will be succeeded by Julia Hoare.