Justin’s Transport Minute – 01/09/2023
This week some of the NRC board and I took a road trip (admittedly by air for some of us) to the mighty Taranaki to meet with members at the Plymouth Hotel. Chairman John Baillie, and board members Glen MacKay and Pamela Bonney joined me on a panel discussion where we discussed all things NRC.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 25/08/2023
Here at NRC we are always busy everyday representing your interests, and I wanted to share with you some of the ways we are working so that both your views are heard, and also so that you stay informed. It is a two way road, after all.
Firstly, next in line for our successful webinar series is Heavy Vehicle Permitting Changes. Riccardo Areosa, Programme Manager-Permits at Waka Kotahi will be joining NRC to talk through and answer any questions on suggested changes to the vehicle permitting system.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 18/08/2023
Another flurry of political activity this week on the transport front…anyone would think there’s an election coming.
Yesterday, the government announced a transport “Government Policy Statement” (GPS) out for consultation. With less than 60 days to the election, the danger is many will consider the GPS a dead rubber, as they say in sport. In its simplest form, the government’s transport policy amounted to $20b of spend on roading, public transport, and yes, cycleways. The sting in the tail is that it will be paid for by fuel excise duty going up 12c a litre. And as we know, where FED goes, RUC goes.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 11/08/2023
Another busy week with the gun having been fired on election season, even before parliament has finished and the MPs left the building. This week I enjoyed a fascinating conversation with the ACT Party’s transport spokesman Simon Court, on their transport and infrastructure policies. Talking with Simon it was clear he has a deep understanding of the road transport sector and how it has been failed over the last decade in roading and policies.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 04/08/2023
Roading as an election issue? Why it’s not necessarily great news…
In many ways having road transport front and centre of the election is exactly where we don’t want to be. The reason roading is an election issue is because the network is failing, and everyone has had enough. NRC members have been pointing this out over the last 30 years until they were blue in the face. Finally, now that the deterioration is impossible to hide, everyone else has caught up.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 28/07/2023
This week Ian, Paula, James Smith and I headed to Hamilton to attend the EROAD Fleet Day at the Claudelands Event Centre.
It was a really worthwhile trip, over 800 attendees and an interesting programme of presentations split out in relevance between heavy and light fleets. Naturally, there was a lot of attention on the next generation of electric, electric-fuel cell and hydrogen trucks – which I took the opportunity to familiarise myself with.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 21/07/2023
It’s hard to know how to appropriately address the terrible incident that occurred in Auckland’s CBD yesterday, but I think I speak for the entire team when I say our thoughts are with all of those affected.
The beginning of the week was stark contrast to the end with NRC throwing our support behind the National Party’s pledge to repair potholes within 24 hours and rehabilitate at least two per cent of road surfaces each year.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 07/07/2023
Afternoon,
This week I was called by a producer on Seven Sharp asking if I wanted to come on to talk about the harbour bridge closures. There had been media earlier in the week that Waka Kotahi were being too risk averse
Justin’s Transport Minute – 30/06/2023
TRANSPORT MINUTE
I really enjoyed the opportunity on Friday to have a chat with our members and partners over a beer at the AGM, thanks to all of those who attended what was a very successful event.
Some members couldn’t get there in person so, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share the top themes of the evening.
Our strategy is simple invest in our organization…..
Justin’s Transport Minute – 23/06/2023
Another week of NZ politics that was so surreal I’m not sure what the right adjective is to describe it.
In amongst the endless media fascination of who said what to whom, our former Minister of Immigration, Minister Wood made a quiet but important announcement for the transport industry. You can be forgiven for missing it.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 16/06/2023
This week there have been a number of roading achievements worth celebrating. All state highways in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti are now open following completion of the Hikuwai Bailey bridge restoring access for residents in Tokomaru Bay, Waipiro Bay, Te Puia Springs and communities all along SH35 to Gisborne. This work is on the back of the re-opening of the Waikare Gorge Bailey bridge on State Highway 2 last month, reconnecting Wairoa and Napier.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 02/06/2023
This week Treasury has warned that both FED and RUC will need to be increased in order to manage pressures on the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF), and the need to service the $2 billion Waka Kotahi loan.
On Wednesday, I spoke to Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB about what this means. In a nutshell, I said New Zealand needs to recognise the contribution a functioning road network makes to our economy, and the road funding model needs to reflect this.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 18/05/2023
While this year’s Budget addresses the urgent need to respond to the devastation caused by the recent weather events it does not address the long-term funding deficit caused by decades of under-investment in New Zealand’s roading network.
As a country we don’t have the luxury of focusing on the nice to haves. If the recent cyclone and flooding has shown us one thing it’s how we urgently need to get the basics right. In terms of roading we need to focus on the three R’s – Resilience, Rebuild and Restorative maintenance.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 12/05/2023
Yet again it’s been another week where mother nature has flexed her power with torrential rain causing havoc across Northland, Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. A tornado hit Taranaki and the rain continued to march South ensuring Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough and the West Coast were all left sodden. I continue to be amazed at how well transport operates weather these relentless challenges – but it takes its toll.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 05/05/2023
This week kicked off with our submission on the much needed second Waitematā Harbour Crossing, which promises to be the largest single infrastructure project in the country. This is much more than just another expensive Auckland project, fixing the current State Highway 1 arterial constraint will deliver transport benefits from Northland to the lower-North Island and beyond.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 28/04/2023
It’s been a busy week on the political front with some positive announcements for the transport sector.
First up, Wednesday’s announcement from the Minister of Immigration and Transport Hon Michael Wood that the transport sector will be eligible for work to residence visas from 29 September 2023 is being universally welcomed across the industry. This change is a direct result of ongoing conversations by NRC, Bus & Coach, Waste Associations and NZ Shipping Federation with the Minister to highlight the urgent immigration changes needed to enable the sector to attract and keep much needed workers.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 21/04/2023
This week we’re seeing some significant signs that the economic slowdown is definitely hitting home. Two major construction companies, Scarbro Construction and AH Construction have sadly gone into receivership, joining 183 other construction companies hitting the wall since August.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 14/04/2023
Yet another week where potholes and road cones were the talk of the town.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 06/04/2023
As most of the country heads into Easter looking forward to a break, I know many members will continue doing the hard yards to make sure Kiwi homes are well stocked with hot cross buns and chocolate bunnies. Many of you may not get much of a break but I do hope you at least get a bit of downtime to relax and regroup before tackling into the busy winter months ahead.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 31/03/2023
It’s been a big week in terms of road re-opening announcements following Cyclone Gabrielle. SH5 Napier to Taupō is now open 24/7 after a mammoth effort by road crews to make the road safe for night-time travel. Hot on the heels of this announcement is the welcome news that SH1 Brynderwyn Hills re-opened in both directions at 9am today, for the first time since Cyclone Gabrielle struck last month. A major relief for transport operators who have been forced to take lengthy diversions via Dargaville. Knowing this critical piece of roading infrastructure has re-opened gives Northland operators a much-needed morale boost.