Hanes Distribution

Hanes Distribution / Logistics & Supply Chain

End-to-End
Logistics.

From factory floor in Shenzhen to project site in Christchurch — Hanes Distribution manages the full supply chain. We operate at a 4PL level: coordinating manufacturers, freight forwarders, carriers, customs brokers, and direct-to-site delivery under a single supply relationship.

What is 4PL?Our Services
4PL
Logistics Level
2
Global Offices
22–28d
Asia to NZ Transit
100%
NZ Nationwide Delivery
5
Brand Portfolio

About Our Logistics Model

One Relationship.
The Whole Supply Chain.

Most building material suppliers in New Zealand are simply re-sellers — they buy from wholesalers, add their margin, and sell on. Hanes Distribution operates differently. We manage the entire logistics chain — from manufacturer selection and quality control in Asia, through freight forwarding and ocean freight, customs clearance at Lyttelton, warehousing at Hornby, and staged direct-to-site delivery — all coordinated through a single supply relationship.

This model isn't just more cost-effective for our clients — it's fundamentally more reliable. When you buy through a chain of intermediaries, accountability gets diluted. Problems get passed around. With Hanes Distribution, there is one point of contact, one team responsible, and one standard we hold ourselves to: your materials arrive correctly, on time, with full compliance documentation.

Our Hong Kong coordination office gives us direct, real-time visibility into manufacturing and freight conditions across Asia — allowing us to anticipate problems before they become your delays.

Enquire About Logistics
Hanes Distribution — logistics

Understanding Logistics Models

1PL to 4PL —
Where Hanes Sits.

Logistics is classified in tiers depending on how much of the supply chain is managed. Understanding these tiers explains why Hanes Distribution's model delivers a fundamentally different level of supply chain control and reliability compared to standard distributors.

Standard
1PL
First Party
Logistics
The manufacturer or business handles all of its own logistics internally — no outsourcing. The company owns the vehicles, warehouses, and freight assets.
Company owns trucks and delivers its own goods
In-house warehouse managed directly
No third-party logistics involvement
Common for large manufacturers with captive distribution
Standard
2PL
Second Party
Logistics
Asset-based logistics providers — carriers, shipping lines, freight companies — that own physical transport infrastructure and move goods on behalf of others.
Maersk, MSC, COSCO — ocean carriers
Road freight companies, couriers
Airlines for air freight
No supply chain management — just point-to-point transport
Standard
3PL
Third Party
Logistics
Third-party logistics providers manage outsourced logistics functions — typically warehousing, freight management, and distribution — on behalf of a client business.
Freight forwarders managing bookings and customs
Contract warehousing and order fulfilment
Distribution coordination
Single logistics function outsourced — not full chain management
Hanes Model
Hanes Distribution
4PL
Fourth Party
Logistics
A 4PL provider manages and integrates the entire supply chain on behalf of the client — coordinating all logistics providers, manufacturers, carriers, and systems under a single point of accountability.
Manufacturer vetting, QC, and production coordination
Freight forwarding and carrier selection
Customs clearance, MPI biosecurity, import compliance
Warehousing, devanning, inventory management at Hornby
Staged direct-to-site delivery NZ-wide
Single point of accountability — one team, one relationship

What 4PL Means for Our Clients

You engage Hanes Distribution once — and we manage everything from that point. You don't need to find a freight forwarder, negotiate with carriers, chase customs brokers, or coordinate warehouse and delivery separately. We are your supply chain.

Why This Matters for NZ Projects

NZ construction projects are time-sensitive. Delays in material supply cause programme overruns that cost far more than the materials themselves. A 4PL model reduces the number of handoffs where accountability can slip — which is where delays and errors originate.

Our Logistics Services

Six Pillars of
Our Supply Chain.

01
🏭
Manufacturer Vetting & QC
Before any order is placed, our Hong Kong team assesses and approves manufacturing partners against a rigorous set of criteria — engineering capability, quality systems, compliance documentation capacity, and production reliability. We only work with manufacturers who can meet NZ Building Code requirements.
  • Factory audit and capability assessment
  • ISO 9001 and quality system verification
  • Pre-shipment quality inspection at factory
  • Compliance documentation preparation oversight
  • Ongoing supplier performance monitoring
02
📦
Freight Forwarding & Booking
We manage all freight forwarding in-house through our Hong Kong office — booking container space with major carriers (Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO), coordinating packing lists, preparing export documentation, and managing the container from factory to vessel loading.
  • FCL and LCL container management
  • Carrier selection and space booking
  • Export customs documentation
  • Bill of Lading management
  • Real-time freight booking visibility
03
🚢
Ocean Freight Management
From departure at Shenzhen or Shanghai to arrival at Lyttelton — we track every shipment in transit, monitor ETA changes, communicate with carriers, and keep clients informed. We work with all major carriers on the Asia–NZ corridor and select the best option for each shipment based on timing, reliability, and cost.
  • Live vessel tracking and ETA monitoring
  • Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO, ONE and more
  • 22–28 day transit time (Shanghai–Lyttelton)
  • Proactive delay notification and mitigation
  • Freight insurance coordination
04
🏗️
Customs Clearance & Biosecurity
Upon arrival at Lyttelton, we manage the full NZ import clearance process — NZ Customs entry lodgement, MPI biosecurity inspection, duty and GST calculation, and container release. Our team ensures all goods have the correct import documentation to clear customs without delays.
  • NZ Customs (NZCS) import entry lodgement
  • MPI biosecurity pre-notification and inspection
  • Tariff classification and duty assessment
  • GST and import cost calculation
  • Container release and transport coordination
05
🏢
Warehousing & Devanning
Our Hornby facility is the operational hub of Hanes Distribution. Upon container arrival, goods are devanned (unpacked), checked against the packing list, and allocated to project-specific bays. Inventory is managed against live order schedules — ensuring the right stock is ready for dispatch at the right time.
  • Container devanning and goods receipt
  • Quality check and damage assessment
  • Project-bay stock allocation
  • Live inventory management
  • Staged stock holding to match build programmes
  • Compliance documentation filing per project
06
🚛
Direct-to-Site Delivery
The final leg — your materials dispatched from Hornby to your project site. We coordinate site access requirements, confirm delivery windows with your site team, manage staged delivery to match your build programme, and provide delivery documentation including compliance packs. Nationwide delivery — South Island and North Island.
  • Direct-to-site dispatch from Hornby warehouse
  • Nationwide delivery coordination
  • Staged delivery to match build programme
  • Delivery window confirmation with site team
  • Delivery docket and compliance documentation
  • Delivery confirmation and sign-off

The Full Journey

Source to Site —
Every Step Managed.

🏭
Stage 01
Manufacturer Engagement
2–6 weeks

Your order is placed with a vetted, certified manufacturing partner coordinated by our Hong Kong team. Production timelines are confirmed, specifications are locked, and pre-shipment inspection is scheduled. Our team monitors production milestones and flags any lead time changes before they become a problem.

All compliance documentation — test reports, certification, engineer's sign-off — is prepared during this stage, ready to accompany the shipment and your delivery.

  • Order specification confirmed and locked
  • Manufacturer assigned and production schedule set
  • Compliance documentation pack initiated
  • Pre-shipment inspection scheduled
  • Production progress monitored by HK team
  • Client notified of production milestones
⚓
Stage 02
Port of Origin
3–7 days

Once production is complete and QC inspection passed, goods are transported to the port of origin — typically Shenzhen (Yantian Terminal) or Shanghai (Yangshan). We manage container stuffing, export customs clearance, and coordination with the carrier for loading.

Once the vessel departs, the Bill of Lading is issued and forwarded to our NZ team. We pre-notify our Hornby warehouse of the inbound shipment ETA and begin planning for devanning and project allocation.

  • Container stuffed and sealed — packing list verified
  • Export customs declaration lodged and cleared
  • Carrier booking confirmed — container loaded to vessel
  • Bill of Lading issued and distributed
  • NZ customs pre-arrival entry preparation begins
  • Hornby warehouse ETA notification issued
🌊
Stage 03
Ocean Freight
22–28 days

The vessel departs and your container begins its 22–28 day transit from Asia to Lyttelton. We track the vessel in real time through carrier AIS systems and our freight forwarder network. If the ETA changes materially — due to port congestion, weather, or routing changes — we notify our clients immediately and update delivery timelines accordingly.

During this period, we also prepare the NZ customs import entry and MPI biosecurity pre-notification so clearance can begin immediately upon vessel arrival.

  • Live vessel tracking — position updated daily
  • ETA monitored and communicated to client
  • NZ Customs import entry prepared and lodged
  • MPI biosecurity pre-notification submitted
  • Duty and GST liability calculated
  • Hornby warehouse scheduled for container arrival
🏗️
Stage 04
Port of Lyttelton
3–7 days

The vessel berths at Port of Lyttelton and the container is discharged. Our customs broker lodges the import entry with NZ Customs (NZCS) and MPI biosecurity inspection is completed. Once cleared, the container is transported by road to our Hornby facility.

At Hornby, the container is devanned — goods are unpacked, counted against the packing list, inspected for damage, and allocated to project-specific bays. Any damage or discrepancy is identified immediately and our freight insurance process is initiated if required.

  • Vessel berthed — container discharged at Lyttelton
  • NZ Customs clearance approved
  • MPI biosecurity inspection completed and cleared
  • Container transported to Hornby facility by road
  • Devanning completed — goods counted and inspected
  • Stock allocated to project bays — delivery planning begins
📦
Stage 05
Site Delivery
1–5 days

The final stage. Your materials are dispatched from Hornby to your project site — staged to match your build programme. Our logistics coordinator contacts your site team to confirm the delivery window, access requirements, and offloading arrangements.

We deliver nationwide — South Island via our own dispatch fleet and North Island via our freight partner network. Every delivery includes a delivery docket and your compliance documentation pack — CodeMark certificates, test reports, installation guides, and all supporting materials for your building consent file.

  • Delivery order raised — stock allocated and picked
  • Delivery window confirmed with site team
  • Access requirements and offloading confirmed
  • Materials dispatched from Hornby warehouse
  • Direct-to-site delivery completed — NZ-wide
  • Delivery docket signed — compliance pack provided
Manufacturing
01 — Manufacturing
Ocean Freight
02–03 — Ocean Freight
Lyttelton
04 — Port of Lyttelton
Warehouse
04 — Hornby Warehouse
Site Delivery
05 — Site Delivery

Hornby Facility

Warehousing &
Inventory Management.

Our Hornby warehouse facility is the operational engine of Hanes Distribution — the point where global supply chain meets NZ project delivery. Located in Hornby's industrial precinct at 93 Main South Road, the facility manages all devanning, stock allocation, inventory management, and dispatch coordination for clients across New Zealand.

The warehouse is not a general storage facility — it is a project-aligned operations centre. Stock is not held in bulk and dispatched randomly. Every incoming shipment is allocated to specific projects, staged in dedicated project bays, and dispatched on the schedule your build programme requires.

This staged approach means you get the materials when your project needs them — not all at once sitting on-site taking up space, and not weeks late because logistics weren't planned around your programme.

Location
93 Main South Road, Hornby, Christchurch
Function
Devanning, storage, project staging, dispatch
Delivery Region
New Zealand nationwide
Staging
Project-specific bay allocation
Inventory
Live allocation against build programmes
Dispatch
1–5 days from warehouse to site
Hornby Warehouse — Hanes Distribution

Freight & Carriers

How We Manage
Your Freight.

Hanes Distribution works across all major Asia–NZ shipping carriers — selecting the best option per shipment based on schedule reliability, capacity, transit time, and cost. We are not tied to a single carrier, which gives our clients real flexibility and protection against carrier-specific disruptions.

Our Hong Kong team maintains active freight relationships across Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO, ONE, Hapag-Lloyd, and Evergreen — providing real market visibility and the ability to pivot carrier bookings when disruptions arise.

We manage both FCL (Full Container Load) for larger project orders and LCL (Less than Container Load) for smaller consignments — optimising freight cost against delivery timeline for each order.

Carriers We Work With

Maersk
Denmark — World's 2nd Largest
Asia → Lyttelton / Auckland
~23–27 day transit
MSC
Switzerland — World's Largest
Asia → ANZ via multiple services
~22–26 day transit
CMA CGM
France — Ocean Alliance
Asia → NZ — active coverage
~23–28 day transit
COSCO
China — Strong China Origin
Shenzhen / Shanghai → NZ
~22–26 day transit
ONE
Japan — Premier Alliance
Asia → ANZ via Premier
~23–27 day transit
Hapag-Lloyd
Germany — Gemini Alliance
Asia → ANZ — high reliability
~24–28 day transit

Supply Chain Route — Shenzhen to Site

🏭 Shenzhen / Shanghai Factory
Certified manufacturing facility. Pre-shipment inspection. Compliance documentation prepared.
Production: 2–6 weeks
⚓ Yantian / Yangshan Terminal
Container loaded to vessel. Export customs cleared. Bill of Lading issued.
Port: 3–7 days
🚢 South Pacific Ocean
Vessel tracked daily. ETA updates. NZ customs pre-clearance prepared during transit.
Transit: 22–28 days
🏗️ Port of Lyttelton, Canterbury
Vessel berths. Container discharged. NZ Customs & MPI biosecurity cleared. Transport to Hornby.
Customs: 3–7 days
🏢 Hornby Warehouse, Christchurch
Devanned. Goods checked. Allocated to project bay. Staged for dispatch.
Devanning: 1–2 days
📦 Your Project Site — NZ Nationwide
Staged dispatch. Delivery confirmed with site team. Delivery docket and compliance pack provided.
Dispatch: 1–5 days

Import Compliance

Customs, Biosecurity
& Import Compliance.

Every shipment entering New Zealand must pass through NZ Customs (NZCS) clearance and MPI biosecurity inspection. These processes involve lodging import entries, declaring goods values, classifying tariffs, paying duty and GST, and satisfying MPI that goods meet NZ biosecurity standards.

For builders and developers, this process is invisible when done well — and extremely costly when it goes wrong. Delayed customs clearance holds your container at port, accumulating demurrage charges and delaying your project delivery. A failed MPI inspection can result in goods being rejected or destroyed.

Hanes Distribution manages the full import compliance process on behalf of our clients through our customs brokers and in-house logistics team. We pre-prepare all documentation during the ocean transit to ensure clearance happens as fast as possible the moment the vessel berths.

All Hanes Distribution products are also accompanied by the compliance documentation New Zealand's Building Consent Authorities require — CodeMark certificates, BRANZ appraisals, AS/NZS test reports, and installation guides — making our products easy to specify and consent with confidence.

🛃
NZ Customs Clearance
Import entry lodged with NZCS. Tariff classification, customs value declaration, duty and GST assessment, and entry approval — all managed by our customs broker team. Pre-lodgement during ocean transit for fastest possible clearance.
🌿
MPI Biosecurity Inspection
Ministry for Primary Industries biosecurity pre-notification lodged in advance. All timber products treated to meet NZ biosecurity requirements. Inspection coordinated at Lyttelton for efficient clearance and release.
📋
NZBC Product Compliance
All Hanes Distribution products supplied with complete NZ Building Code compliance documentation — CodeMark certificates, BRANZ appraisals, BenchMark certifications, AS/NZS test reports, and engineer certificates for BCA consent submissions.
🛡️
Freight Insurance
All shipments covered by marine cargo insurance during transit. In the event of damage, loss, or discrepancy identified at devanning — our team initiates the insurance claim process immediately and manages the resolution with the insurer.
📝
Documentation Management
Bill of Lading, commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate, test reports, and compliance documentation — all prepared, filed, and available on request for every shipment and product.
⚠️
Issue Resolution
If a customs hold, MPI query, or documentation issue arises — our logistics team responds immediately to resolve the matter and minimise delay. Clients are notified proactively. We never leave a problem to resolve itself.

Delivery & Distribution

New Zealand
Nationwide Delivery.

Direct-to-site delivery from Hornby — staged to your build programme, confirmed with your site team, and backed by our full compliance documentation pack.

🗺️
Nationwide Coverage
We deliver to any project site in New Zealand — South Island via our own dispatch coordination, North Island via our freight partner network. From Auckland to Invercargill, we cover it.
📅
Staged Programme Delivery
Materials dispatched in stages aligned to your build programme — not all at once. Slab, framing, lockup, fit-out — we coordinate supply to match what your project needs at each stage.
📞
Delivery Coordination
Our logistics coordinator contacts your site team to confirm the delivery window, access requirements, crane or forklift availability, and any special unloading arrangements before every delivery.
📄
Compliance Documentation
Every delivery includes a delivery docket, packing list, and your product compliance documentation pack — CodeMark, BRANZ, test reports, installation guides — ready for your building consent file.

Why Hanes Distribution

The Hanes Logistics
Advantage.

01
One Point of Accountability
When you work with multiple separate providers — manufacturer, freight forwarder, customs broker, warehouse, delivery company — accountability gets fragmented. Problems get passed around. With Hanes Distribution, one team is responsible for the full chain. If something goes wrong, we own it and we fix it.
02
Hong Kong Visibility Advantage
Our Hong Kong coordination office gives us direct early-warning visibility into manufacturing delays, freight market shifts, and carrier disruptions — weeks before they would otherwise become visible to a NZ-only distributor. We plan around problems rather than react to them after they've already hit your project.
03
No Margin Stacking
Standard NZ distributors buy from wholesalers who buy from importers who buy from manufacturers — each adding their margin. Hanes Distribution sources direct from certified manufacturers, with our own freight, customs, and warehousing. Fewer intermediaries means better pricing for our clients without compromising quality or compliance.
04
Programme-Aligned Supply
We don't just deliver when stock arrives. We hold, stage, and dispatch materials aligned to your specific build programme. This means the right material is at your site at the right time — not sitting in your yard taking up space three months before you need it, and not arriving late and stalling your trades.
05
Compliance Ready — Every Time
Every Hanes Distribution product arrives with complete NZ Building Code compliance documentation. CodeMark pathways, BRANZ appraisals, AS/NZS test reports, and installation guides — accepted by Building Consent Authorities nationwide. You don't need to chase documentation separately. It comes with the delivery.
06
Proactive Communication
We don't wait for clients to ask where their order is. If an ETA changes, if there's a customs query, or if a delivery needs rescheduling — we contact you first. Our tracking system provides full shipment visibility and our logistics team maintains proactive communication throughout the supply chain journey.

By the Numbers

NZ Logistics
In Context.

Key supply chain and construction metrics that shape the environment Hanes Distribution operates in — and why a reliable, proactive logistics partner matters more than ever.

22–28d
Asia to Lyttelton Transit
Current average transit time from major Chinese ports to Lyttelton — carrier and routing dependent.
10–12wk
Recommended Pre-Order Window
Total lead time for import materials from order placement to site delivery — recommended planning window for project certainty.
$28B+
NZ Construction Sector
Annual value of NZ construction — driving consistent demand for reliable, compliant building material supply.
100%
NZBC Compliance — All Products
Every product Hanes Distribution supplies is accompanied by documentation accepted by NZ Building Consent Authorities.

Ready to Simplify
Your Supply Chain?

Talk to our logistics team about your project requirements. We'll explain how our 4PL model can reduce your procurement complexity, improve supply certainty, and save you money on the materials that matter most.

Talk to Our Team →Track an Order

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