Media Release
05 October 2017
KiwiRail wins supreme Excellence in Business Support Award
KiwiRail’s resilience and ability to adapt to disruption saw it take home the supreme award at the AUT Business School
Excellence in Business Support Awards last night.
The Excellence in Business Support Awards recognise and celebrate organisations and individuals that deliver quality
products and services to help small, medium and large businesses maximise their potential.
KiwiRail, which also won the AUT International Business Export Support and Advanced Security Group Government
categories, was acknowledged for its partnership with Port of Tauranga and Fonterra, aimed at boosting export growth.
The three-way alliance has resulted in an improved supply chain, productivity, regional development, reduced CO²
emissions and lower costs.
“Helping to grow New Zealand’s economy is at the heart of all we do, so we were thrilled to be recognised with this
award,” says Chief Executive Peter Reidy.
“We have built strong partnerships with New Zealand’s ports, which help us to efficiently and reliably deliver our
customers’ goods to New Zealand and the world.
“The award also recognises our ability to quickly respond to events such as the Kaikoura earthquake, which had a
significant impact on the national supply chain. It challenged us to find ways to continue to support our customers and
to provide strategic resilience options.”
KiwiRail moves 18 million tonnes of freight each year, its network is used for 32 million commuter journeys and it
transports more than one million tourist passengers on its scenic trains and inter-island ferries.
“KiwiRail is a vital part of the transport and multi-billion dollar tourism network,” said Professor Kate Kearins, Dean
of AUT Faculty of Business, Economics and Law.
“Its resilience and ability to quickly establish alternatives to disrupted networks is part of what makes it a deserving
supreme winner of the Excellence in Business Support Awards.”