Shipping Containers for Sale and Hire in Invercargill
New and used shipping containers for Invercargill, Bluff, Gore and Southland farms. Send the size, condition and delivery address, and we pass your request to suppliers and transport operators who service Southland. They quote you directly, with delivery included.
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Invercargill supply
South Port and the Southland climate
Port and inland port
South Port and the Intermodal Freight Centre
South Port at Bluff handled 41,143 TEU in the year to 30 June 2025. It also runs the Intermodal Freight Centre in Invercargill, operating since July 2016 next to the KiwiRail container transfer yard, which moves cargo by rail and road for Southland and Otago. The port also has cold stores at Bluff.
Containers therefore move through Invercargill itself, not only through Bluff, and suppliers can source used and one-trip units locally. Final delivery of a 20ft container or 40ft unit is by road, on a HIAB truck or a swinglift.
Local conditions
Wind, rain and frost
NIWA’s Invercargill data shows a mean wind of 16.8 km/h and about 109 days a year with gusts over 61 km/h, plus about 213 rain days, 104 ground frosts, 41 air frosts and 5 snow days. Morning relative humidity averages 85%. That combination makes condensation the main risk for anything stored in a container, so ask for extra vents and use moisture absorbers. Our condensation guide explains the options.
Empty containers on open farm sites should be tied down or placed where they are sheltered from the wind. Near Bluff and the coast, NZS 3604 exposure zone D applies within 500 m of the sea, so plan for paint maintenance. Invercargill, Gore and Southland are in H1 climate zone 6, the coldest insulation zone.
Local uses
How Southland uses containers
Large dairy farms
Southland had 12.5% of New Zealand’s dairy cows from 9.3% of its herds in 2022/23, so herds are large. Farms use 40ft containers for calf feed, workshops and parts, often joined with a container shelter roof. See farm storage containers for layouts.
Industry and processing
Primary industries and manufacturing made up 37% of Southland’s GDP in 2021. The Tiwai Point smelter’s future is secured by 20-year power contracts running to at least 2044, and contractors who service the region’s plants and processors use containers for parts, tools and overflow storage.
Home storage in Invercargill
About 55% of Southland’s roughly 102,700 people live in Invercargill. Storage containers in Invercargill hold garage overflow, renovation contents and boats. The city’s flat sections and wide streets make swinglift delivery straightforward on most properties.
Stewart Island and remote sites
The Bluff to Oban ferry carries passengers only, not vehicles. A container for Stewart Island needs a separate freight vessel or barge from Bluff, so mention it in your request and allow extra time. Te Anau and Fiordland sites also need early planning for transport.
Rules and delivery
Invercargill City Council guidance and delivery
Invercargill City Council
ICC’s shipping container guide
Invercargill City Council is one of the few NZ councils with a written guide on containers, Shipping containers as buildings (March 2017). Its main points:
- Placing or moving a container on a property is not building work and needs no building consent.
- A container used for storage, with no formed foundation or slab, needs no consent.
- A slab with hold-down fixings, services, a roof, an internal fit-out, or an occupied use such as a sleepout, office or workshop needs building consent.
- A container should sit at least its own height from a legal boundary, otherwise fire rating and consent may be needed.
- The guide assumes good ground with an ultimate bearing capacity of 300 kPa.
The guide predates the October 2025 changes to Schedule 1 of the Building Act, which now set a 1 m boundary distance for exempt buildings of 10 to 30 m², so confirm the current boundary position with ICC. The Invercargill City District Plan 2019 and the hazardous substances rules apply even when no building consent is needed. Our consent guide covers the national rules.
Delivery areas
Bluff, Gore, Winton and Te Anau
Suppliers who service Invercargill deliver around the city and to Bluff, Winton, Riverton, Wyndham, Mataura, Gore and Te Anau. On farms, a laden truck can bog on soft ground after heavy rain, so pick a firm, gravelled spot near the road. Outside the city, Gore District Council and Southland District Council set their own plan rules. Our delivery guide lists what to check before the truck arrives.
If a container must sit on the street, ICC requires a Use of Street Frontage or Roadway Permit with a traffic management plan through MyWorksites, applied for at least five days ahead, plus neighbour consent. Container hire in Invercargill is quoted per address like a purchase. A new one-trip 20ft was listed in Invercargill at $5,395 incl. GST in the Shipping-Containers.co.nz NZ price index, October 2026, against a national median of $4,830 incl. GST. See the full NZ price index.
Container types
Browse your container options
Get Southland container quotes
Send the size, condition, buy or hire, and the delivery address. Suppliers who service Invercargill and Southland reply with delivered prices.
Get a free quoteFAQ
Shipping containers in Invercargill: common questions
Shipping containers for sale in Invercargill come from suppliers and yards that deliver across Invercargill, Gore, Winton and the rest of Southland. Shipping-Containers.co.nz does not run its own depot here. We pass your request to suppliers and transport operators who service your address, and they quote you directly with the container price and delivery. A 20ft container for sale in Invercargill is the most common request, followed by 40ft and high cube units. Send your size and address to compare quotes.
Not for storage. Invercargill City Council’s guide says placing or moving a container is not building work, and a storage container with no formed foundation or slab needs no consent. You need building consent once you add a slab with hold-down fixings, services, a roof or a fit-out, or use the container as a sleepout, office or workshop. District Plan rules apply either way.
ICC’s 2017 guide asks for at least the container’s own height from a legal boundary, about 2.6 m for a standard container, otherwise fire rating and consent may be needed. Since October 2025, Schedule 1 of the Building Act uses 1 m for exempt buildings of 10 to 30 m², so the guide may not reflect current law. Ask ICC to confirm before you place a container close to a boundary.
In the Shipping-Containers.co.nz NZ price index, October 2026, a new one-trip 20ft was listed in Invercargill at $5,395 incl. GST, among the higher asking prices in the country. The national median for a new 20ft was $4,830 incl. GST and for a used wind and watertight 20ft $3,680 incl. GST. Delivery is extra. Send your address through the quote form to compare delivered prices.
Yes. Container hire in Invercargill is used for renovations, moves and farm projects. Published NZ hire rates for a 20ft unit run from $90 to $276 per month (GST excluded or not stated), with delivery and collection charged separately and minimum terms set by each supplier. Our container hire page explains what to ask.
Yes, but not on the passenger ferry. The Bluff to Oban ferry does not carry vehicles or heavy freight, so a container needs a separate freight vessel or barge from Bluff. Mention Stewart Island in your request so suppliers can price both the road leg to Bluff and the sea crossing, and allow extra time for weather.
Southland’s long wet season and frequent frosts make condensation likely. Add vents at both ends, use moisture absorbers, keep goods on pallets and never load anything damp. Place the container on firm, well-drained ground with a slight fall so water runs off the roof. For furniture or paper stored over winter, consider an insulated or lined container.