NZTD News

The Government’s crackdown on drunk drivers is delivering real results with newly released 2024 statistics showing the number of alcohol-related road deaths reducing by nearly 40%, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say.

“Our Government is focused on improving road safety through road policing and enforcement, investment in new and safe roading infrastructure, and targeting the leading contributors to fatal crashes such as drugs and alcohol impairment. That plan – the Road Policing Invest...

A 1-day closure of Pekatahi Bridge is scheduled to take place next Monday 19 May, between 8.30am and 4.30pm, enabling essential deck repairs to take place.  

Pekatahi Bridge, located north of Tāneatua on State Highway 2 (SH2), will close for the day so contractors can safely repair and replace decking planks, address broken and protruding screws and undertake chipseal surface patching (weather dependent).

Tuesday 20 May is the contingency day should the weather be unsuitable on Monday.

SH2 is a key con...

The Light Traffic Index (LTI) lifted 0.6% in April and is unchanged versus a year ago. The more volatile Heavy Traffic Index (HTI) rose 2.7%, and is up 1.7% y/y.

Light traffic (motorbikes, cars and vans) is generally a good indicator of the state of demand, as opposed to production. It typically provides a six-month lead on momentum in the economy, with variation reflecting discretionary spending on outings, movement of couriers and tradespeople etc. The trend in light traffic is mildly upward over recent months. In pe...

Since KiwiRail announced the retirement of the Aratere last week, I’ve heard from many frustrated members. They’re concerned about reduced capacity across the Cook Strait, rising freight costs, and the disruption this will cause to their businesses.

This frustration is completely justified. In June last year, the Government-appointed Ministerial Advisory Group recommended procuring two rail-compatible vessels, to be delivered by December 2027. Instead, the country will now wait until 2029 for rail-enabled ves...

Without doubt one of the most enjoyable parts of running National Road Carriers is meeting our members. I’m privileged to meet all types of people up and down the country, across all the transport sectors. Each business is unique. 

One of the first questions I ask is – how’s business, and are you starting to see any green shoots of recovering customer demand? 

The answers are as broad as our member base, but this year a consistent theme is noticeable. The green shoots are slow in coming. 

The...

National road freight association Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is partnering with Teletrac Navman to produce a detailed snapshot of the road transport sector. The report will be released at Transporting New Zealand’s South Island Road Freight Seminar in Christchurch on 28 June.

One of the early findings is that truck drivers on the West Coast of the South Island do well in comparison to the rest of New Zealand.

“The latest Census data shows that the West Coast has the best-paid truck drivers in the co...