This week is an important one in the National Road Carriers association calendar, with members gathering for our 89th Annual General Meeting. 

As New Zealand’s leading industry association for transport NRC has proudly served those making a living in the road transport industry since the days horse and carts were being replaced by the first trucks. Remarkably some of our members go back to that very transition. 

89 years later our association’s services remain as relevant as ever. 

The freight task itself is unchanged. Move goods from A to B.  

Getting it done, however, has changed in every way.  

Transport cuts across everything – rural and urban, business and residential, import and export, government and private sector, health and safety, laws and regulations … you get the picture. 

And all these things are in a continual state of change. 

Which is where NRC comes in. Every day our team works to help our members navigate these complexities so they can focus on running a successful transport business and the important task of delivering for New Zealand. 

Our AGM is a time to reflect on the hard work of the association, celebrate what it has achieved for members, and to look forward to the coming year. 

Members get together, enjoy catching up with one another over a drink, and meeting with our fantastic sponsors, who support the association by providing outstanding services and NRC commercial terms designed for members. 

We’ve come a long way…and there is more to come 

This year there is a lot to celebrate. 

Ian Newey, our chairman, will talk about how our new constitution was voted in, setting us up to serve our members for the next 90 years and beyond. He’ll also talk about the significant work our Board is putting in to improve our governance, so NRC continues to be New Zealand’s leading transport association for its members. 

I will reflect on how we continue to strengthen the organisation by investing in our people, processes and systems so that we can continue to improve the excellent, expert service we provide our members.  

I am proud of our team who have been hard at work helping our members through what has proved to have been one of the toughest economic years in a generation. Member demand for their expert business and compliance advice, and sometimes just a supportive ear, has been huge. Being there making a difference for the people of our industry is what keeps our great team going.  

I’ll also talk about our industry leadership – how NRC has led the way calling for government to focus on three essentials for our industry: freight and supply chain efficiency, improving safety and compliance, and looking after our roads and building the ones we need. 

A call to work together to prevent future deaths 

I will also be talking about the needless death of Johnathan Walters, and how we cannot let this moment to prevent future deaths by fixing our safety and compliance gaps pass us by.  

I will be talking about it because it cannot be ignored. 

And because I am personally determined that we as an industry – operators, customers, policy makers and regulators – resolve to get the causes fixed. 

I have said that Johnathan’s death was caused by a systemic failure. 

That is another way of saying it was caused by compliance slipping between the gaps. 

And there are numerous gaps between the Ministry of Transport which sets policy, laws, rules and regulations, and NZTA which regulates them, the workplace safety regulations set by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and WorkSafe which enforces them, procurement rules and obligations for customers … and many more. I have spoken at length on them in the media. 

Getting these gaps addressed is undeniably complex, it requires what is called a whole of system approach, and it is going to take time. 

But we need to get it done so others don’t needlessly die. 

Our people, of all backgrounds, are the strength of this industry  

With 89 years of history, NRC brings together a diverse range of members: multi-generation New Zealand family businesses, newcomers to the industry from across the country, and new Kiwis who have made New Zealand their home. 

Though our members come from all walks of life, they share one thing in common: a commitment to being the best transport operators they can be.  

As an association NRC is here to help all compliant transport operators achieve this.  

A brief wander into the seedier parts of social media quickly reveals some people try to blame race for the industry’s problems. 

Those people are quick to assume by whom recent accidents have been caused by. 

What frustrates those of us working to address the industry’s challenges is that blaming race obscures the real causes. 

Accidents are not caused by race. 

They result from a lack of competence, education, or experience – and, in the worst cases, from a deliberate disregard for compliance to undercut honest operators with cheaper rates. 

NRC does not tolerate racism.  

NRC is here to tackle these issues by focusing on the real causes.  

We stand with all our members and proudly represent their diverse voices. From a wide range of backgrounds, they are the backbone of our great freight and supply chain industry. And this is who we will be celebrating at our Annual General Meeting. 

Justin Tighe-Umbers, Chief Executive, National Road Carriers Assn