Road Transport Forum chief executive Nick Leggett says the trucking industry congratulates Michael Wood, who has been today announced as Minister of Transport, and he looks forward to working with him on the critical issues and opportunities ahead.

"This is an important portfolio so we are pleased to see Minister Wood who has a background and interest in it," Leggett says.

"Roads are the lifeblood of the economy and we believe the trucking industry will be a strong contributor to recovery from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Covid-19 has highlighted a critical need for better understanding by Government and officials about how the global supply chain works and how that flows through to moving goods into, out of, and around New Zealand. There are some significant supply chain issues ahead and we will be asking the Government for immediate attention to this.

"As the Government launches its recovery plans for Covid-19, we look forward to being part of that. We do not produce everything in New Zealand and we rely on the global supply chain, so free movement of goods is essential to a healthy trucking industry.

"We will be sending a briefing to the incoming Minister regarding all the components we believe are important to ensuring the New Zealand economy can rely on the flow of exports and imports, and New Zealanders can get the things they need every day in a timely and affordable way. We will release that briefing in due course."

Leggett thanked the outgoing Minister of Transport, Phil Twyford, for his work in the portfolio and commitment to open dialogue with the industry.

About Road Transport Forum New Zealand (RTF)

RTF provides unified national representation for several regional trucking associations. RTF members include Road Transport Association NZ, National Road Carriers, and NZ Trucking Association. The affiliated representation of the RTF is about 3,000 individual road transport companies which in turn, operate 16-18,000 trucks involved in road freight transport, as well as companies that provide services allied to road freight transport.

The road freight transport industry employs 32,868 people (2.0% of the workforce), has a gross annual turnover of $6 billion, and transports 93% of the total tonnes of freight moved in New Zealand.

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