Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

The Road Transport Forum has praised the Government for announcing a commitment to introduce legislative measures to protect small businesses from unfair commercial practices.
"Smaller transport operators and service providers, particularly in provincial areas, have for years suffered from bullying at the hands of some of the corporate big boys," says RTF CEO Nick Leggett.
"For a rural transport operator, in many cases their whole business relies on servicing one dominant client – and there is little choice but to accept the contract terms they're presented with….lest they should lose that contract and go out of business."
When it comes to unfair commercia...

At the 2018 RTF Conference, economic commentator and former ANZ Bank chief economist Cameron Bagrie explained how the New Zealand economy was about to go through a frustrating environment of slowing, grumpy growth and increasing cost pressures that he termed "Grumpflation."
At this year's conference Bagrie introduced some new phrases to describe just where NZ could be heading over the next two to three years, and it's fair to say the path ahead is a bit rocky.
Is the economy heading for the handbasin, the bathtub or the toilet?
These bathroom amenities are the three possible outcomes that Bagrie foresees for the NZ economy, and all three describe some form of economic ...

Over the last couple of months, we have seen the beginning of the new emphasis on road safety.
Unfortunately, investing in newer, safer roads to deal with our growing population and economy is not on the table. Instead, the plan is to slow the country down by reducing speed limits.
Unquestionably, roads and the vehicles that travel on them pose a safety risk. But they also allow for the geographic, economic and social mobility that is fundamental to our society. Sensible transport policy is about finding the balance between these two priorities.
Of course, it's logical that the slower the traffic moves, the less chance of serious accidents – I accept that.
H...

The average age of truck drivers in New Zealand is 54, which means that over the next 10-15 years we can expect a significant proportion of our workforce to retire.
This alone presents one of our industry's biggest risks and is something that the RTF, its associations and many operators are grappling with.
The answer is to employ more young people to fill the gaps. The 22–39-year age group, known to most of us as The Millennials, will be 75% of NZ's workforce in a decade.
By necessity, they will have to be a big part of the road transport industry. However, we're struggling to attract them, especially millennial women. As generational recruitment and leadership e...

The recent RTF Conference at Wairakei Resort, near Taupō, gave me an opportunity to catch up with delegates from all over the country.
It was a really good chance to hear about what is challenging them in their businesses. These chats are important for me, as a lot of the time I am in the Wellington bubble, lobbying government.
I am conscious of regularly being in touch with what is affecting operators in the regions, and I travel as much as I can to ensure that.
The overall impression I got was that the industry is in good heart, but we face some challenges: The economic and political climate are uncertain and there is understandable concern at the goings-on at the N...