The Maersk Cold Store facility at the Ruakura Superhub in Hamilton has officially been awarded a 6 Star Green Star NZ Design and As-Built rating, marking the first cold storage facility in New Zealand to achieve the highest possible sustainability standard in commercial construction.
Delivered by Apollo Projects, the 18,000sq m facility was designed and built with energy efficiency and emissions reduction at its core, supporting Maersk’s decarbonisation goals and setting a new benchmark for industrial development in New Zealand.
“This achievement underscores our dedication to decarbonisation and innovation across industrial development and supply chain logistics,” Maersk Oceania managing director Kylie Fraser says.
“Cold chain logistics play a vital role in global food supply chains and represent a significant opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Fraser says. “We’re proud to support our customers in lowering the emissions footprint from production to plate.
“This milestone reflects what’s possible when innovation, decarbonisation, and operational excellence are embedded from day one,” Apollo Projects executive director Paul Lloyd says. “We’re proud to deliver design and build projects that support the future of decarbonisation in logistics.”
Designed for performance, built for the future
Apollo began design in early 2022, broke ground by August that year, and completed the project in February 2024. Despite its scale, several stages were handed over ahead of schedule, with the overall build delivered on time and within budget.
A fully integrated Building Management System (BMS) enables full control over all major systems — including the CO₂ refrigeration — while a clever layout and design-led approach reduced the need for more than 88 kilometres of reticulation piping, saving cost and materials.
“This facility is a clear example of how high-performance, lower carbon industrial buildings can and should be delivered in New Zealand,” New Zealand Green Building Council chief executive Andrew Eagles says. “It sets a strong precedent for the sector.”
The Maersk Ruakura Cold Store is now a flagship asset within the Ruakura Superhub, enhancing New Zealand’s logistics capacity, and proving that world-class innovation and industrial performance can go hand-in-hand.
Key features of the Maersk Ruakura Cold Store include:
• Transcritical CO₂ Refrigeration System: One of the largest globally, capturing and reusing waste heat to warm office spaces and the underfloor glycol system.
• Condensate recovery: Water from the refrigeration system is repurposed for cooling tower misters.
• Rainwater harvesting: Integrated systems reduce reliance on potable water.
• Lithium reach and forklifts: Improved energy efficiency and low-emission operation.
• Solar power: A rooftop solar array generating more than 1.52MW of renewable energy for onsite use.
