Ships stuck at sea with New Zealand's Christmas presents

© Ritaanisimova

Even in New Zealand things are bad: ships are having to wait up to 20 days outside the port of Auckland – meaning a lot of Christmas presents won’t be under the tree in time for the gift-giving holiday. Only three of the port’s eight cranes can operate simultaneously, owing to low staff numbers, while the global shortage of boxes had already triggered delays. Some ships are said to have been diverted back to Australia, while others are looking at different ports such as Tauranga.