Family, friends, fishermen, and the road

transport industry gathered in the Bay of Islands on July 16 to farewell New Zealand Truck & Driver founder and publisher Trevor Woolston.

Trevor passed away suddenly on June 26, while holidaying in Australia.

Trevor’s career in road transport spanned more than 50 years. From his earliest entry to the industry – as a teenager driving a hay truck on Waikato farms – he excelled across multiple roles and played a pioneering part in several aspects of the industry.

From the time behind the wheel of the hay truck and gaining his licenses in an RL Bedford as an NZ Army Territorial, Trevor committed himself to the industry, firstly driving for General Foods and then taking on the family milk run.

In 1982 Trevor purchased a 1974 Mack R Model from Dibble Brothers in Te Awamutu. Together with Barry Stamp, Alf Quaife, Derek Smith and Geoff Dibble, Trevor formed the Dibble Independent Transport Co-Op.

During the 1980s Trevor became a champion for the interests of the road transport sector. He firstly took an active role in the Road Transport Association and then widened his efforts to shine a positive spotlight on the industry – notably through his promotion of truck shows, by introducing the sport of truck racing to New Zealand, and moving into publishing.

It was Trevor’s wife, Sue, who encouraged the move into publishing, and it became the major focus of their attention. The first issue of NZ Trucking magazine appeared in March 1985, and when they sold the title to Independent Newspapers in 1995, Trevor stayed on as manager of its industry magazines stable for a year.

Trevor is the founding father of truck racing in New Zealand, promoting the inaugural New Zealand Truck Grand Prix held at Pukekohe in 1989 which attracted 25,000 spectators and a live TV audience. He managed the sport until 1994, establishing it as a high profile trans-Tasman competition.

Also in 1989 Trevor organised the first ever national road transport exhibition at Mystery Creek. It drew over 23,000 visitors and continued to run for the next decade on a biennial basis.

The birth of NZ Truck and Driver magazine came in 1999 when Tony Freidlander, CEO of the Road Transport Forum, approached Trevor to publish its monthly newsletter.

It was at Trevor’s suggestion that NZ Truck & Driver was launched as the official magazine of the RTF. The relationship continues with the magazine the official publication of Ia Ara Transporting New Zealand (the successor to the RTF) as well as representing the National Road Carriers Association and the NZ Heavy Haulage Association.

In recent years Trevor had been recognised for his industry commitment. He received the Road Transport Forum’s Supreme Contribution Award to the Industry in 2017, and in 2020 he was inducted into the New Zealand Road Transport Hall of Fame.

A full celebration of Trevor Woolston’s lifetime in the road transport industry will appear in the September issue of NZ Truck & Driver magazine.