Road freight peak body Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand has welcomed today’s Government’s announcement that $22 million dollars will be invested across 18 projects in the West Coast to improve the resilience of roads that have been affected by recent extreme weather. These investments are part of the $419 million dollar Transport Resilience Fund, established in Budget 2023.

Transporting New Zealand Interim CEO Dom Kalasih says that increasing the resilience of the roading network is a top priority for its freight operator members. Having a reliable and resilient roading network is essential to supporting the mining, agriculture and forestry industries that drive the West Coast’s economy - and the same goes for New Zealand’s entire national transport system.

"Severe weather events are occurring more and more frequently, wrecking New Zealand’s vulnerable roading network, and putting people’s safety and the security of the supply chain at risk. Our members want to see our regional roading connections strengthened against adverse weather impacts like slips, rock falls, and flooding.

"That’s why Transporting New Zealand is calling on the Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024 to make road network resilience the overarching strategic priority. The Transport Resilience Fund is a good start, but we need all transport investment decisions by Waka Kotahi and councils to have resilience at front-of-mind," said Kalasih.

Consultation on the draft GPS 2024 closes on Friday, with Transporting New Zealand hoping the next government will amend the document to elevate road network resilience and maintenance considerations.

Additional information about Transporting New Zealand’s policy priorities can be found at https://www.transporting.nz/election-platform-2023

About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country.

New Zealand’s road freight transport industry employs 33,000 people (1.2 per cent of the total workforce), and has a gross annual turnover in the order of $6 billion. This is part of a wider transport sector that employs 108,000 people and contributes 4.8 per cent of New Zealand’s GDP.

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