The evening, sponsored by In Vehicle Camera Systems (IVCS), saw six awards presented. The number of nominations was strong, with between three and seven finalists being recognised in the various categories before the winners were announced.

Mt Maunganui’s Greg Pert received the VTNZ Supreme Contribution to New Zealand Road Freight Transport award.

The Supreme award recognises a lifetime of service, sector leadership and impact.

The owner and managing director of Tranzliquid Logistics which he founded 25 years ago, Greg has 40 years of experience in the industry, specialising in petroleum transport.

Greg has long been a respected leader in the transport sector, previously serving as Chair of the Road Transport Forum. He is currently on the Board of Transporting New Zealand and is the Chair of the Petroleum Industry Transport Safety Forum (PITSF).

Under his leadership, Tranzliquid has introduced new standards for vehicle efficiency and championed driver training and cadetship pathways.

MITO supported the Outstanding Contribution to Training Award which was won by Paraparumu-based Clive Taylor Haulage.

Under the leadership of Andrew (Sooty) and Tania Breach, Clive Taylor Haulage has developed a workplace where training and development are part of everyday operations. This focus on learning, pride, and retention exemplifies a business that trains to retain.

From a list of four nominees the EROAD Young Driver of the Year award was won by Taylah Penn, a Class 5 driver at Whanganui’s Sharp As Line Linehaul Ltd.

An emerging leader at just 20 years old. Taylah has demonstrated technical excellence, dedication, versatility, and strong team values, making her an inspiring example of the next generation driving the industry forward.

KAM Transport’s efforts in the area of sustainability and efficiency were rewarded with the Fruehauf Outstanding Contribution to Innovation Award.

In late-2024 KAM Transport became New Zealand’s first transport and logistics company to gain Toitū enviromark gold certification.

Seven nominees were in contention for the NZI Women in Road Transport Award with Alexander Group Chief Executive Hayley Alexander being named as the winner.

Hayley has spent more than 20 years championing diversity, professionalism, and innovation in road transport. Her progressive vision, mentoring of young professionals, and tireless advocacy for women in transport make Hayley an influential leader.

The EROAD Outstanding Contribution to Health and Safety had five nominees in the running with Foodstuffs North Island named the winner for its programme of safety innovations across its vehicle fleet. 

The company’s status as a transport safety leader has seen Guardian by Seeing Machines cameras installed across its 300-strong fleet for the past five years and now, the business is trialling AutoSense Vision Focus technology in selected vehicles – adding real-time incident review and driver exoneration to its in-cab safety toolkit.

Dom Kalasih, the Chief Executive for Transporting New Zealand, says it’s heartening to see the range of skilled nominees and winners honoured at the awards night.

“This is a challenging time for many businesses. The number and quality of nominees for these awards show how talented and resilient the freight sector is, and the amount of hard work that’s going on to raise industry standards.

“I congratulate all of this year’s winners and thank them for their tireless commitment and passion. It does not go unnoticed.”

The North Island Seminar was themed around the subjects of risk,  managing risk and crisis management.

The scene was set for a full day of presentations by the powerful Do to Lead presentation by Mark Law of helicopter operator Kahu NZ.

He outlined his personal and company involvement in the immediate aftermath of the December 2019 Whakaari/White Island eruption.

Economist and Transporting NZ Chair Cameron Bagrie had plenty of straightforward economic and political commentary.

“I’m not a politician, I’m an economist. But at the moment you can’t really separate the two,” he says.

He sees the likelihood of the world returning to a situation similar to the 1950s, 60s and 70s; with geopolitics usurping economic imperatives and bringing increased risk.

Attendees also heard from NZTA and NZ Police Commercial Vehicle Safety Team speakers addressing road safety initiatives, permitting and other issues including new speed camera enforcement.

Panel discussions were based around risk and crisis management, including a case study presented by James Drummond detailing the Pan Pac Forests emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.

Transporting NZ Head of Policy and Advocacy delivered an update around workforce trends and challenges facing the road transport industry.

While Transporting NZ has staged separate North and South Island Seminars in 2024 and 2025, the lead up to next year’s General Election will be the platform for a full national conference.