Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Transport should be about what is in the best interests of connecting people and enabling freight to get to desired destinations. In theory, much of the transport investment is for inter-generational assets.

In recent years it has become deeply politicised, and we are losing integrity in the decisionmaking process. This has resulted in investment decisions being for political purposes, and many of these projects never come to fruition.

A modern transport system can mould together road transport needs, commuter movements, supply chains, advances in technology, economic growth and environmental concerns.

The challenge ahead

New Zealand is a young...

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand recently provided feedback on the Ministry of Transport’s Long-Term Insights Briefing (LTIB) on the impact of autonomous vehicles (AVs) operating on NZ’s roads.

The LTIB said AVs are predicted to fundamentally change the transport sector, although there is still a high degree of uncertainty in actually understanding their potential impact. 

On the one hand, AVs could significantly improve road safety outcomes and contribute to a more integrated, accessible and cost-effective transport system for NZ. 

On the other hand, they could also introduce new road safety risks (such as hardware and software failures and malicio...

Gains can be made right now to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from road freight transport, Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett says.

In a comprehensive submission to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Transporting NZ says the government should be more decisive and fast-acting in enabling tangible progress on reducing GHG emissions.

Says Leggett: “Instead of waiting for the perfect heavy truck to be produced that meets the Government’s view of decarbonisation (ie EVs or hydrogen) – which could be years away and is still largely in fantasy land – the Government could be acting now, with solutions that already exist t...

COVID-19 has taught businesses the world over the need for an open mind and agility…

And it’s clear that while many things will be forced to change, things are already returning to the way they were on the employment front for our industry.

New Zealand has a chronic shortage of workers. Partly this is because of the indefinitely closed border and aggressive immigration settings. 

However, there are also other factors at play, says Te ara ki tua Road to success coordinator Fiona McDonagh: “Younger workers have a different set of expectations than what many of us are used to. Younger people entering the job market have different expectations from their parents – m...

The lack of charging facilities and support infrastructure is one of the biggest barriers to the adoption of electric vehicles – in particular electric trucks – in New Zealand. 

So I was pleased to see a battery-swapping station gain Government and industry support as part of the push to find solutions to heavy transport emissions.

The concept is pretty exciting: Etruck’s director Ross Linton plans to import a semi-robotic gantry from China that will be able to lift out and replace a two-and-a-half-tonne truck battery while you wait. 

This will not only result in electric trucks being able to keep running with minimal downtime, but also allow the batteries ...