Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Technology has brought about massive change for the better in our industry – although the core function, of taking essential supplies where they are needed, remains the same. Sometimes, change comes incrementally and gradually, like faster computers or more efficient engines, and sometimes it can be revolutionary, like electric or hybrid vehicles. 

In July, I gave a talk at Fleet Day in Hamilton, about how technology can improve heavy road transport. We’ve heard a lot recently about the challenges facing our industry, and while I do not want to diminish them, I feel it is good to be optimistic and acknowledge some of the positive changes that are happening. Th...

Once again, extreme weather on the North Island’s east coast has highlighted the fragility of New Zealand’s roading network, with more road closures and question marks hanging over the viability of some highways.

State Highway 25A on the Coromandel remains closed and won’t open until next year. Roads around the country, particularly in Northland, Gisborne, and Auckland, are coming under pressure due to the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events.

Crucial decisions will need to be made about investment in the roading network and what projects get prioritised. We constantly hear from our members about the continued poor state of roads arou...

I was pleased to see the Government at least attempt to address roading resilience in this year’s Budget. With severe weather events becoming more frequent and roads being the vital links between our communities, it is absolutely critical we increase investment in roading to make sure it is as resilient as possible.

This year’s Budget includes $279 million of funding specifically to improve the resilience of the state highway network, namely through slip prevention, slope stabilisation, flood mitigation and lessening the impact of sea level rise. This is on top of the $71 billion set aside for broader infrastructure upgrades over the next five years and the $475 mi...

By the time this magazine hits the 
shelves I will have left Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand to take up a new role as Chief Executive of Infrastructure New Zealand. It is with some sadness that I leave the road transport industry as I have thoroughly enjoyed four-and-a-half years representing it. 

There is so much to be admired about the industry here in New Zealand. As I have consistently stated in my public advocacy, road transport is what literally moves New Zealand. The fast and efficient movement of goods is key to this country’s sustained economic success and trucking is right at the heart of that. The industry is also is made up of hardworking,...

It’s fair to say, I am deeply disappointed and somewhat bemused by the failed rollout of roadside saliva-based drug testing. 

Passed into law through the Drug Driving Amendment Act, which Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand strongly supported, roadside saliva-based oral drug testing was due to begin on March 11. It was determined at the last minute, however, that the tests currently on the market are not suitable for New Zealand because, rather than indicate the level of impairment, they simply test for the presence of drugs in a driver’s system.

The decision to suspend roadside drug testing is not only a missed opportunity to enhance road safety an...