Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

The 2019 RTF Conference, which is being held at the Wairakei Resort near Taupo on September 24 and 25, will have Central Focus as its theme.
"We believe that now is the correct time to focus on the issues and topics that are of central concern to our livelihoods and the wellbeing of those we employ and do business with," says RTF chief executive Nick Leggett.
"There are many challenges we currently face that are central to the industry's future success – from workforce shortages to increased health and safety compliance and, of course, safety out there on the road."
Leggett says that the Forum, along with Region 2 and CARTA – who are running the conferenc...

In the wake of the tragedy that unfolded in Christchurch on March 15 there has never been a better time to address the issue of cultural diversity in our society and within our industry.
Every day New Zealand becomes a more culturally diverse nation. The last census that we have results of – way back in 2013 – showed that NZ's population is made up of significantly large ethnic groups from all around the world.
Seventy-four percent of people in 2013 identified as European, 14.9% as Māori, 11.8% as Asian, 7.4% as Pacific peoples and 1.2% as Middle-Eastern, Latin American and African.
In Auckland, our most multi-ethnic region, 59.3% identify as European, 23....

As the New Zealand Transport Agency's regulatory catchup work rolls on – after a decade of inattention and under-resourcing – transport operators are having to deal with the day-to-day impacts of the constantly-changing compliance landscape.
However, that is not the end of it! Operators should also be anticipating and preparing for significant changes to how they're assessed (in the Operator Rating System and when applying for heavy vehicle permits) in future.
In the case of the heavy vehicle specialist certifier compliance review, the Road Transport Forum is becoming more and more frustrated that road transport businesses are having to pay the price for the NZ...

The Government's proposed changes to employer-assisted work visas and regional workforce planning are well-meaning and on the right track…..but require "tweaking" to make them truly work for industry.
This is the opinion of RTF's policy manager Mark Ngatuere, who recently wrote RTF's submission on the proposed changes.
"RTF recognises that immigration will never be a longterm substitute for developing homegrown talent," he says – and adds: "However, Government must begin to recognise that road freight transport requires particular solutions to meet freight task demands that are currently outstripping supply."
Included in the Government's plan is the establi...

Transport companies will be among many businesses wondering how they'll be affected by the proposed capital gains tax.
Some important details raised by the Tax Working Group are yet to be worked through – for example, it's not clear yet whether, or by how much, capital losses would be able to be offset against other income.
The Government has said it would indicate its views on the Tax Working Group's recommendations by the start of this month.
So, at the time of writing there is no confirmed position that would allow transport companies to start planning for a new tax regime. However, the basic direction of the Tax Working Group's proposals is well-known: A br...