Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Whatever else was happening around the country last year, it was a much better year for road safety.

The road toll was down below 300 for the first time since 2013 with the Ministry of Transport provisional data showing there were 292 deaths from 250 fatal crashes in 2024. That is still 292 tragedies for those peoples’ families and friends, but that is 49 deaths fewer than last year and fewer will always be better.

According to the AA, the 2024 figure is the lowest per capita roads deaths since 1923. Back then New Zealand’s population was under 1.4 million, and it had a road toll of 59, which worked out as less than 4.5 deaths per 100,000 people. The 2024 fi...

As the CEO of Road Transport Logistics (RTL), based in Tapanui, West Otago, Shona Robertson’s vision was always to create an innovative, progressive company focused on sustainability, customer service and smart solutions.

She says with the amount of change happening everywhere, in all industries, the whole industry must be adaptable and open to change.

Shona received the Trackit Logistics Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry award at Transporting New Zealand’s Napier Seminar in October.

CEO Dom Kalasih says Shona has been an incredibly hard worker for her local area, being president of the local rural sector group.

As Napier MP Katie Nimon alluded to at Transporting New Zealand’s recent Napier Seminar, work has started on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway RoNS (Roads of National Significance) in order to four-lane it.

Hopefully it will be an example of what can go right with a roading project, with the end result being safer and much nicer to drive on. 

The Mackays to Peka Peka section of the Kāpiti Expressway that opened in 2017 has led to Kāpiti having one of the lowest rates of road fatalities in the country. We expect this latest improvement in the Hawke’s Bay to bring similar safety improvements, productivity benefits and a loss less frustration for people in the 2...

It’s been a rough time for the ferries getting between the islands this year.

Lately it’s been the turn of Bluebridge to have trouble on the water and the safety and reliability of the Cook Strait ferry services is again being questioned.

In September, the Bluebridge ferry Connemara lost power after leaving Wellington Harbour and had to be towed back to port. It was the latest in a string of mishaps involving the ferries, the previous one being when Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground in the Marlborough Sounds in June.

The prompt response with tug assistance and the professionalism of the Bluebridge crew meant no one was at risk, as I understand ...

It’s all about the roads at the moment, which I am pretty thrilled about.

There have been some things I haven’t been that thrilled about. For instance, I was up in Hawke’s Bay recently talking to local bodies about some roading initiatives I felt were less than helpful, such as plonking large flower planters on road lanes. But more about that later.

The big deal has been the release of NZTA Waka Kotahi’s National Land Transport Programme 2024-2027 which aims to future-proof our roading network and boost productivity. The investment of $32.9b is the largest of any NLTP. Arguably money should have been spent sooner and we’ll still be behind the eight ball.