Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

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...

In normal circumstances I would never give up a chunk of my column to quote verbatim the words of a politician. However, new Prime Minister Hipkins’ opening Statement to Parliament in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle is potentially so consequential for the road transport industry and the future of roading in New Zealand, that I have chosen to make an exception. Hipkins told Parliament:

We know that how we recover has to be done a little bit differently this time. We’ve got to build back better, we’ve got to build back safer, and we’ve got to build back smarter. New Zealand is now without question experiencing the effects of climate change, and we are well past the poi...

Transporting New Zealand welcomes the Government’s decision to extend the Transport Support Package, including reinstatement of the 36% RUC discount. 

The Transport Support Package has been absolutely critical to help reduce costs for road transport operators and keep rising consumer prices in check, which is why Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand ran a campaign over summer to have it extended. 

The Treasury estimated that the combined impacts of the Transport Support Package reduced headline inflation by 0.5% in the June 2022 quarter so the impact of the policy right across the economy is pretty significant. 

Middle- and lower-inco...

Back in February, Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand released a report on behalf of the road transport industry that effectively buried the myth that rail can be a serious competitor to road transport across New Zealand’s freight network.

The report, Road and rail – delivering for New Zealand, which includes contributions from economists David Greig and Dave Heatley, is not intended to be a self-serving anti-rail hit-job, rather it is a rational evidence-based look at the true value of rail freight to New Zealand. 

Transporting New Zealand fully supports investment in rail where it makes sense and it must be acknowledged that the road freight transport industry ...