Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Over the last couple of decades, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of the International Forum for Heavy Vehicle Transport and Technology (HVTT). The most recent symposium, HVTT18 in Quebec, offered a good reminder of the value in stepping outside our own day-to-day issues and seeing where things are heading internationally in research, technical development, and policy.

Although New Zealand is small and geographically distant from many of the countries represented, the symposium helped put things into perspective. There were areas of clear overlap in the challenges we face, but also some key differences in how they’re being managed.

Vehicles and Energy

Mo...

The Government’s commitment to substantial roading improvements is paying off – supported by staunch advocacy from the transport sector.

A recent example is Transport Minister Chris Bishop’s announcement about the new Ōtaki to north of Levin highway (O2NL). NZTA has signed construction contracts with two alliances to build this Road of National Significance and construction will get underway this spring.

The existing Kāpiti Highway currently sees up to 19,500 vehicle movements per day, and this project is the final leg of the Wellington Northern Corridor. It will mean we have a multi-lane motorway/expressway standard road for those travelling between Wellington and a bit past Lev...

Over the past 15 years, High Productivity Motor Vehicles have played an increasingly important part in the supply chain. During this period of stagnant economic growth, the efficiency and productivity improvements these vehicles offer are more important than ever. The associated safety and emissions benefits provided by a reduced number of trips are also a big win for the entire country.

Unfortunately for road freight companies and their customers, applying for an HPMV permit can be a complicated process. This includes navigating NZTA’s permitting portal, carefully measuring the vehicle, entering the data correctly, and then waiting for the permit to be granted.

There are currently many issues and challenges facing the road transport industry, and it was very rewarding to explore these at Transporting New Zealand’s South Island Seminar, held in Christchurch at the end of June.

It was a pleasure catching up with familiar faces, meeting new people, and celebrating success through awards that recognised achievement across a range of categories. Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to everyone who took part. 

It’s clear the shape and makeup of our industry is evolving. At the seminar, Head of Policy and Advocacy Billy Clemens shared an update on the latest data and trends which is covered in more detai...

There’s an old Chinese saying, or curse: “May you live in interesting times.”

We’re lucky not to have war or civil unrest here, but we live in a time of global economic uncertainty and unprecedented trade volatility. At this time, Transporting New Zealand needs to be delivering for our members and the wider industry.

I have spelt out some of the things we’ve been doing for members in a video which is on the Friday Blog section of the Transporting News website. We will be making these regular features, and you will also hear from Cam Bagrie, our Board Chair, and others.

My key message is that if we can move freight smarter and more efficiently, then ou...