You may have missed it, but this week the Government announced the biggest change in freight and supply chain policy in decades.

At first glance it may have looked like just another bland policy announcement about plans from the Government.

But it is far more than that.

What Minister Bishop has announced is a major step change in how government approaches freight and supply chain planning.

Firstly – the establishment of a new Freight Council will bring together senior experts from road, rail, maritime and air to work alongside government. It’s a joint approach that puts real-world expertise at the centre of planning. Done right, this will stop the endless back and forth on whether a ferry needs to be rail enabled, or where a port should be moved to, or if a road of national significance should be built.

It will do this by measuring freight task productivity, building a deeper understanding how long it takes to move goods from A to B across the modes, and how predictable journey times are, and what changes over time.

Then it will act on what it learns with targeted initiatives to improve freight task efficiency in the Freight Action Plan.

The plan will focus on using freight data to guide investment, improve regulatory settings, and build infrastructure that reflects the needs of the freight sector.

The updated Freight Demand Study will provide fresh insights into what’s moving, where, and how—giving government the evidence it needs to make smarter decisions.

And how will all this turn up as improvements for transport operators?

Well, firstly, this is not an overnight fix. This is a long-term system improvement, it’s about steering investments that will maximise freight productivity, reduce the cost of transporting goods and stretching the taxpayer dollar further. This takes time, but is a change worth waiting for.

Get the Freight Council and action plan humming, and transport operators can expect to see more resilient transport infrastructure, better connectivity between the regions, reduced congestion, and improved safety across the supply chain.

We know this, because Australia is already seeing these results from their National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy. They are 5 years or so further down the track than we are, with a Freight Industry Reference Panel which sets a national agenda for government and industry action across all freight modes, to increase safety, productivity and resilience.

But we can catch up. We’ve beaten them in the Bledisloe Cup, now its time to overtake them with faster and smarter freight.

And it’s critical we do.

New Zealand is an export-led economy at the end of the world’s supply chains. Our competitiveness depends on moving goods smarter, faster, and more reliably than our global peers. With industry and government working side by side, we can build a freight system that’s resilient, productive, and fit for the future.

Let’s keep the momentum going. NRC looks forward to working with all partners to ensure these initiatives deliver real outcomes for our members, our regions, and our economy.

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