Tainui Group Holdings' chief executive expects an inland port which the company plans to develop near Hamilton will create between 6000 and 12,000.
The commercial arm of Waikato-Tainui iwi hopes that by the end of the year the Waikato regional council will have finalised its regional policy statement and allow 500 hectares of iwi-owned land at Ruakura to be re-zoned.
Mike Pohio says if all goes according to plan, the development of an inland freight hub will start in 2014.
He says the Tainui Group envisages providing facilities for companies that transport their goods by rail or road.
Mr Pohio expects the project to cost about $3 billion over the next 30 years.
He says the company's contribution will be the land and the initial infrastructure for the inland port.
