Time is running out to register and organise your trip to The Road Ahead – 2021 Transporting New Zealand Conference in Invercargill on September 25 and 26. 

“Registration will remain open right until the last minute as we understand how difficult the COVID-19 environment makes planning ahead,” says RTF’s Nick Leggett. 

“The disruption caused by recent weather events and local disasters is also making life challenging for the industry so we want to give everyone the best opportunity possible to attend.

“We can guarantee those who make it to Invercargill will get great value from the diverse lineup of speakers and events we have organised. Like the rest of the world, we need to begin planning for the challenges that will come as we move out of COVID and we believe the Conference will assist delegates to do that.” 

This year’s conference MC is doyen of the Parliamentary Press Gallery and current Newstalk ZB political commentator Barry Soper. He joined the Press Gallery in 1980 and has seen it all: From the infamous ‘schnapps election’ to foreshore and seabed, Corngate and the rise and fall of political parties, his knowledge of what goes on in Wellington is second-to-none. 

Soper has been named Individual Radio Journalist of the Year at the NZ Radio Awards several times – most recently this year.

We are privileged to have Datacom’s head of supply chain David Ffowcs Williams come and discuss some of the latest enhancements to logistics systems that have been deployed in NZ and globally. He has spent the past 27 years developing and delivering game-changing technology for major logistics businesses worldwide, including the world’s first GPRS-based sign-on-glass system.

Dallas Seymour is a name that will be familiar to many delegates, having played more than 100 provincial and Super Rugby games for Canterbury, Wellington, the Hurricanes and Crusaders. 

He is probably best known as the former NZ Sevens captain and one of the longest serving sevens players in world rugby. He is a 1998 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, a former All Black and NZ Māori representative. 

He will talk to us about Tokona te Raki – 

the Māori Future Collective and how that is helping rangatahi Māori reach their potential.

It is always interesting to hear perspectives from other industries, so we are grateful that Potatoes NZ chief executive Chris Claridge will join us to discuss his passion for adding value to NZ’s primary produce. 

Possessing a masters degree in biotechnology, Claridge has an extensive business and academic background. He founded Carrickmore, a dairy export company specialising in marketing infant formula, helped establish the NZ Infant Formula Exporters Association to maintain and protect the reputation of NZ infant formula, set up ID Digital Media – a full service advertising agency specialising in marketing communications – and began Claridges Organics, one of our first organic food exporting businesses. 

If we think COVID-19 has made transport difficult….then just spare a thought for the travel industry. Founder of House of Travel, Tony Laker, will share the secrets behind how a small Invercargill travel agency became one of the largest travel companies in NZ. 

He will also discuss how they are rebuilding from COVID-19 destroying 95% of its business, and how anyone can apply these same principles of resilience to their own business and life.

Says Leggett: “These fantastic speakers, along with Minister of Transport Michael Wood, Judith Collins, Greg Murphy, Cameron Bagrie, Waka Kotahi NZTA’s Nicole Rosie and social entrepreneur Alexia Hilbertidou, mean there really should be something for everybody.”

You can register and get more information about Conference, the speakers and social events at https://www.rtfconference.co.nz