Backlogs at Ports of Auckland are forcing retailers to order stock months before they normally would

Before Christmas, hundreds of shipping containers had to be diverted to Northport due to congestion at Auckland.

Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford says it poses some serious cashflow issues for some -- who need to shell out to suppliers, months before they can even sell the product.

He hopes the ports will get on top of the issue within the next few weeks -- because if the delays continue for months, it's going to get harder.