Firstly, I want to further reflect on the nationwide operator survey we undertook back in June and the encouraging signs of our industry’s increasing competitiveness in the labour market.

Eighty per cent of the 400 operators who responded had increased pay for their drivers over the last year with more than half having increased wages by at least 6%. The median hourly wage for our industry has moved from around $26 per hour from in March 2020 to over $31 per hour in 2022. There has also been a threefold increase in professional drivers being paid between $33 and $40 per hour.

Transporting New Zealand has shared our survey results publicly because we see it as an important ...