NZTD News

Autonomous Hino 700 Series vehicles will be part of full-scale road surface durability tests with road construction company Taisei Rotec. Hino Motors, Ltd. and road construction company Taisei Rotec have commenced the use of unmanned autonomous vehicles in full-scale road surface durability tests.

The initiative will see five heavy-duty Hino Profia (700 Series) prime mover and trailer combinations continuously operating without a driver on Taisei Rotec’s new 909-metre road surface testing track in Japan’s Fukushima pre...

Lyttelton port workers are disappointed with an Employment Court ruling that allows Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) to proceed with a restructure that will remove highly experienced foremen from the waterfront.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) and the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) are considering their response to the judgment from the Employment Court in Christchurch released on Friday 8 August.

The decision follows an interim injunction granted by the Court in early July, which halted the restru...

Despite rising global trade tensions and looming tariff changes, New Zealand exporters remain optimistic and resilient, with two-thirds (79%) maintaining or growing their export volumes over the past year, according to the 2025 ExportNZ DHL Export Barometer. 

The annual survey, which tracks exporter sentiment and trends, reveals that 59% of Kiwi exporters expect to increase their exports in the coming 12 months, even as concerns over trade wars and proposed tariffs intensify. 

Selina Deadman, Vice Presi...

“If we say no to tolls, we’re saying no to new highways, because infrastructure doesn’t come free, and someone has to pay,” says Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett. “Therefore, it’s disappointing to see local mayors lining up to oppose tolling the proposed Woodend Bypass.”

“We all need to face facts; if we want safer, faster, better highways, the users of those roads need to be willing to pay something for them. As a nation, we naturally want the best of everything, but that doesn’t come for free.”...

New Zealand’s most ambitious road maintenance project to rebuild the worst parts of State Highway 1 (SH1) between Tīrau and Waiouru will begin its second construction season on 1 September 2025.

By early 2026, contractors working for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) will have rebuilt more than 66km, or 27 per cent, of SH1 between Tīrau and Waiouru.The SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru Accelerated Maintenance Project (T2W) completed 49.4km of road rebuilding in the first season between September 2024 and April 2025. 

Proposed tolling for Canterbury’s new Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass (B2P) strikes a balance between helping pay for much-needed infrastructure and minimising impacts on local communities, says New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

When built, the B2P project – one of the Roads of National Significance prioritised by the Government – will provide a 10km four-lane motorway extension north of Christchurch and a bypass that reduces the heavy traffic burden on State Highway 1 through the town of ...