On Friday 21 June the NRC team welcomed members, associates and commercial partners to Alexandra Park for our 88th AGM. This year's event really showed just how far we have come as an organisation in the last 12 to 18 months. There was plenty to celebrate with NRC achieving a strong financial result, advocacy success in Wellington and making good inroads on the business transformation and delivering on the strategic objectives.
 
We celebrated John Baillie as the departing Chairman and reflected on both his time leading the board, and the industry changes he has witnessed in his time at the helm. I’d like to personally thank John for his generous support while I got my feet under the desk as new CEO. John remains on as a board member, and we are pleased to welcome Ian Newey into the role of Chairman and Glen MacKay as Deputy Chair. Both are existing board members well versed with the issues we are tackling on behalf of the industry and together they bring a strong regional focus with Ian hailing from Whangārei and Glen the Waikato.
 
We also welcomed Corey Burnett to the role of Owner-driver Representative alongside new board member Bipendra Ram. Bipendra is a long-term member of NRC and has been in the industry for the last 20 years. Bipendra started out with one vehicle and is now running a fleet of 20 HPMV line haul units and inter-city metro delivery trucks serving customers such as NZ Post, Foodstuffs, and Goodman Fielder. Bipendra's expertise is a great addition to the board and I am really forward to working with him.
 
We continue to be sought out by media for commentary on all aspects of the transport sector which speaks to the strength of the strategy we have put in place and the fact that our expert opinion adds value. A great example of this is the interview James Smith did with TVNZ on the state of our transport network, Rough road ahead? Why NZ's transport network is struggling.
 
This week I'm pleased to share that our partner One NZ has provided us with an exclusive member offer. 
 
NRC Members who sign up for a new One Team plan or Interest Free Handset Purchase with One NZ during July and August will go into the draw to win a Warriors merch pack worth $600! Every One Team plan or Interest Free device added will count as 1 entry into the draw. To view the offer, go to https://www.natroad.co.nz/onenz. 
 
To enter, NRC members must email nrc@one.nz and follow the sale process.  Connections added or sales made via other channels will not be counted towards this draw. Promotion period: 1 July 2024 – 31 August 2024. Prize winner drawn by One NZ: 13 September. 
 
Lastly, this week I got to witness first hand all the hard work NZTA has put into the Brynderwyns as I enjoyed a lovely long weekend with great weather up North celebrating Matariki. Driving through the newly opened road while thinking about the 240,000 cubic metres of soil that has been moved to allow the repair really drives home just what an enormous job the contractors faced. It was great to be able to head North as a family and do our bit for the Northland economy.
 
Justin Tighe-Umbers, CEO, National Road Carriers Assn