The 2026 King’s Birthday Honours have recognised the careers and influence of two New Zealand road transport industry leaders.

Bay of Plenty-based Warwick Wilshier has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) and Southland’s Scott O’Donnell becomes an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).

Wilshier has been recognised for his services to the road freight industry, and O’Donnell has been honoured for his services to business.

Wilshier has been a log truck operator for more than 44 years, and has been a leader in efforts to raise the safety standards of log transport through governance and advocacy.

His business career began as a single truck operator in 1982, and is now one of New Zealand’s largest log truck fleet owners with more than 150 vehicles.

In 1985 he joined the New Zealand Road Transport Association Region 2 and was appointed the Region 2 representative on the Road Transport Forum in 2018.

Continuing his commitment to the national association, Wilshier was appointed Chair of the Road Transport Forum, and was Chair of Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand from 2021 to 2024.

He is also a founding member of the Log Transport Safety Council – formed in 1996 – and its Chair for 25 years until 2025. His leadership, commitment, and passion for improving safety have helped shape the New Zealand log transport industry.

The council was established to address the safety of log trucks operating on New Zealand highways. Under Warwick’s leadership it has advocated for the increase of log truck trailer lengths to 22 metres, allowing for lower loads and significantly increasing the safety of the vehicles. He also led the development of new vehicle designs and driver education.

At the conclusion of his 25 years as Chair of the Council in 2025, log truck rollovers had reduced from 2.4 per million kilometres to 0.3 per million km.

Wilshier was a 2022 inductee into the New Zealand Road Transport Hall of Fame.

The honour for Invercargill businessman and philanthropist Scott O’Donnell recognises his contribution to Southland’s economic and community development for more than 30 years.

Scott is a Director of the HW Richardson Group (HWR) and from 2006 to 2015 served as Managing Director, leading the company’s expansion into the petroleum, rural transport, and waste sectors.

He has been a key driver of HWR’s investment in green hydrogen, supporting the development of alternative fuels for heavy vehicles. He helped pioneer New Zealand’s first hydrogen–diesel dual fuel truck, advancing the decarbonisation of heavy transport. He has overseen the growth of HWR’s property portfolio and was appointed CEO in 2016.

As Chair of Invercargill Central, he led the joint venture between HWR and Invercargill City Council to deliver the $180 million redevelopment of the city centre. He has supported the development of major tourism attractions in Invercargill, including Classic Motorcycle Mecca, Toot Sweets, Bill Richardson Transport World, and The Lodges at Transport World. 

Mr O’Donnell has served on the Board of MotorSport New Zealand since 2016 and is a promoter of Invercargill’s George Begg Motorsport Festival. 

Mr O’Donnell’s leadership, investment, and long term commitment have played a significant role in strengthening Invercargill’s business landscape, tourism sector, and community wellbeing.