Taranaki's deep water port could make it a clear contender for being a defence manufacturing hub

The Government's planning to invest 12 billion dollars into defence over the next four years, including on local manufacturers.

Regional development agency Venture Taranaki's exploring banding local businesses together to bid for defence work.

Port General Manager, Ross Dingle, says it's the only deep water port on the west coast.

He says it sets them up well for operations in Australia, they also have a engineering base that's worked for the oil and gas industry for more than 50 years.