Transport Minister Michael Wood will head an exciting and diverse lineup of speakers at the Road Transport Forum’s The Road Ahead - 2021 Transporting New Zealand Conference.

The speakers will entertain, challenge and inform delegates on the significant issues facing our industry and the country as the world begins to look beyond COVID-19.

Opposition Leader Judith Collins will provide the National Party’s view on the state of the economy and the Government’s decisions in the wake of COVID. This will provide delegates with the opportunity to contrast and compare the visions of our two major parties a year into Labour’s second term in office.

Former V8 Supercars fan favourite and now commentator Greg Murphy is well-known for his advocacy on the power of driver skills training as an investment in safety. He will present his road safety message and discuss why New Zealand continues to focus on the ambulance at the bottom of the road safety cliff rather than the fence at the top.

Speaker, activist, and entrepreneur Alexia Hilbertidou will tell us about  her mission to get young women around the boardroom table and into roles they’ve previously been absent from, such as truck driving.

Alexia is the founder of GirlBoss NZ. Her passion for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) led her to create GirlBoss NZ when she was just 16. It has now become a 13,500-strong network for ambitious young NZ women.

Now 22, Hilbertidou is a great example of how Gen Zers are making their mark on the world: A Deloitte Global Scholar, National Geographic Explorer and a Facebook Leadership Fellow, she is currently studying for her Masters in Emerging and Disruptive Technology. She believes that the decisions made at a young age are crucial in paving the way for women to get into leadership.

We are also looking forward to the contribution of Nicole Rosie, chief executive of  Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. Prior to her appointment as CE in February 2020, Rosie led WorkSafe NZ for three years. 

She has more than two decades of senior executive experience across the public and private sectors. This includes a range of industries and functions, such as transport and commercial firms – Toll NZ and Fonterra among them. 

Rosie sees the land transport system and the critical role the NZTA plays across infrastructure, regulation and safety as being at the heart of building a successful future for NZ.

There will be dinners and social events at which conference attendees will be able to mix and mingle, and there’s an interesting partners’ programme for those who don’t want to talk about transport and trucks all day! Partners can take a trip to beautiful Stewart Island, and there are visits to Te Hikoi Museum, Gemstone Beach, the Seriously Good Chocolate Company, and He Waka Tuia, as well as lunches and shopping trips.

Make your conference booking by July 31 to take advantage of the earlybird discount price of $675 for both days. Special rates are also available for accommodation at the Ascot Park Hotel and other accommodation providers in the city.

You can register and get more information about the conference on the dedicated website, https://www.rtfconference.co.nz