Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

In the wake of the tragedy that unfolded in Christchurch on March 15 there has never been a better time to address the issue of cultural diversity in our society and within our industry.
Every day New Zealand becomes a more culturally diverse nation. The last census that we have results of – way back in 2013 – showed that NZ's population is made up of significantly large ethnic groups from all around the world.
Seventy-four percent of people in 2013 identified as European, 14.9% as Māori, 11.8% as Asian, 7.4% as Pacific peoples and 1.2% as Middle-Eastern, Latin American and African.
In Auckland, our most multi-ethnic region, 59.3% identify as European, 23....

As the New Zealand Transport Agency's regulatory catchup work rolls on – after a decade of inattention and under-resourcing – transport operators are having to deal with the day-to-day impacts of the constantly-changing compliance landscape.
However, that is not the end of it! Operators should also be anticipating and preparing for significant changes to how they're assessed (in the Operator Rating System and when applying for heavy vehicle permits) in future.
In the case of the heavy vehicle specialist certifier compliance review, the Road Transport Forum is becoming more and more frustrated that road transport businesses are having to pay the price for the NZ...

The Government's proposed changes to employer-assisted work visas and regional workforce planning are well-meaning and on the right track…..but require "tweaking" to make them truly work for industry.
This is the opinion of RTF's policy manager Mark Ngatuere, who recently wrote RTF's submission on the proposed changes.
"RTF recognises that immigration will never be a longterm substitute for developing homegrown talent," he says – and adds: "However, Government must begin to recognise that road freight transport requires particular solutions to meet freight task demands that are currently outstripping supply."
Included in the Government's plan is the establi...

Transport companies will be among many businesses wondering how they'll be affected by the proposed capital gains tax.
Some important details raised by the Tax Working Group are yet to be worked through – for example, it's not clear yet whether, or by how much, capital losses would be able to be offset against other income.
The Government has said it would indicate its views on the Tax Working Group's recommendations by the start of this month.
So, at the time of writing there is no confirmed position that would allow transport companies to start planning for a new tax regime. However, the basic direction of the Tax Working Group's proposals is well-known: A br...

Just before Christmas, Associate Transport Minister Julie-Ann Genter announced a $1.4billion, three-year programme of investment in safety improvements to existing roads.
The funding will provide 900 kilometres of existing state highways with safety improvement infrastructure such as median and side barriers, rumble strips and shoulder widening, as well as contributing to an expanded investment in local road safety improvements.
Of course, such an investment in safety is welcome and I truly hope that it contributes to making significant parts of our roading network safer. However, the funding is also reflective of a broader change in direction from this government w...