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Category: Media Releases

Works to begin on first seven Roads of National Significance

Today’s announcement by Transport Minister Simeon Brown that NZTA expects to begin procurement, enabling works and construction of the first seven roads of national significance (RONs) in the next three years is welcome news for the freight sector.

Freight industry breathes a sigh of relief as NZTA announces Brynderwyns reopening

NZTA’s announcement that the Brynderwyn’s are set to open to two-way traffic from 11.59pm Wednesday 26 June, just ahead of Matariki weekend is welcome news for both the Northland community and the freight industry, many of whom have had to cope with lengthy diversions while the works have been underway.

The fact contractors have had to move 240,000 cubic metres of soil to create road shoulder space and stabilise the hillside illustrates the sheer scale of the job.

Otaki to north of Levin Road of National Significance update welcomed by freight sector

The latest announcement by Transport Minister Simeon Brown is another positive sign that the National-led Government is getting serious about roading and infrastructure.

"Investment in our road network needs to happen at pace to help New Zealand unlock it’s true economic potential. More efficient freight routes are intrinsically linked to higher productivity and with our economy facing some significant head winds at the moment, everything the Government can do to get things going is a win," says Justin Tighe-Umbers, CEO, National Road Carriers.

Raised speed limits will make goods delivery faster

The Government’s announcement today it will raise speed limits where it is safe to do so on the open road and local roads will help make goods delivery faster says National Road Carriers Association (NRC).

“The Government last week announced it plans to improve the quality of the roads with State Highway and Local Road Pothole Prevention funds totalling nearly $4 billion that will make faster travel safe and effective,” says NRC CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers.

Pothole funding confirmation good news for truck drivers

NZTA confirmation today that it will deliver $2.07 billion for State Highway Pothole Prevention and $1.9 billion for Local Road Pothole Prevention is good news for truck drivers.

“Potholes are a continual hazard for road freight deliveries as well as the general public – we’ve seen record numbers of them, and a clear priority to address them is well overdue,” says National Road Carriers Association CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers.

Significant investment in transport shows this Government is serious about transport

Yesterday’s Budget was everything National promised. A balance between re-prioritisation and targeted investment in the areas New Zealanders have been calling for. 1.9 million households are going to benefit from the promised tax relief and critical services such as health and education are ear marked for significant investment.

Likewise, transport is receiving $2.68 billion, including an additional $1 billion to accelerate the delivery of the Road of National significance and major public transport projects.

Transport sector cost pressures continue to ease as activity weakens

Transport sector cost pressures continued to ease as activity weakened in the March 2024 quarter according to National Road Carriers Association’s (NRC) cost index tool collated by economics consultancy Infometrics.

Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan said diesel prices were 3.5% lower than in the December 2023 quarter, while finance costs edged lower for the second consecutive quarter. Labour costs recorded their smallest quarterly increase in more than three years, at just 0.4%, and there were signs of moderating pressures across most other cost categories.

Road transport not surprised by extended Brynderwyns closure

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s announcement today that State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyn Hills will remain closed until the end of June is not a surprise following two significant slips late last month says National Road Carriers Association CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers.

He said road transport operators will continue to utilise the diversion routes that add between 60 to 140 kilometres to their journey. Increased costs caused by the diversions are being passed through to customers.

National Road Carriers Association welcomes Roads of Regional Significance announcement

According to Justin Tighe-Umbers today’s announcement by Transport Minister Simeon Brown is a welcome return to structured planned investment of the transport network and is in line with what NRC called for pre-election.

A long-term plan for addressing the infrastructure deficit and providing certainty will drive down cost, enabling more to be done to return the network to a state that enables productivity and supports economic growth.

National Road Carriers praises NZTA State Highway Investment Proposal turnaround

National Road Carriers Association (NRC) is pleased how quickly the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has released its proposed delivery approach for the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS).

NZTA released its State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) on Friday 12 April in response to the draft GPS that set out plans for 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS) released by Transport Minister Simeon Brown on 6 March.

“We have a roading infrastructure deficit, so getting on with the design and build with urgency is important,” says NRC CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers. “As well as setting out detail on when the Roads of National Significance will be built, the proposal also sets out the continued response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other extreme weather events.