New Zealand’s peak road transport body Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is cautiously optimistic the election result will lead to increased spending on essential roading projects.

Although the collation details are still to be ironed out, it is clear that we will have a National-led government, with Christopher Luxon as prime minister and Simeon Brown as the likely incoming Transport Minister.

Transporting New Zealand interim chief executive, Dom Kalasih, is backing the transport-related parts of the National Party’s 100 Day Action Plan, which was released before the election.

"Highway infrastructure has been suffering from chronic under-investment, and every day we hear from road transport operators concerned by the poor state of New Zealand’s roads.

"We support the creation of a National Infrastructure Agency and the need to build a resilient road network. Long-term, we also support a return to building more Roads of National Significance.

"Transporting New Zealand is also behind taking a pragmatic, evidence-based approach to setting speed limits around the country. Instead, we have seen a one-size-fits-all approach and this has led to nonsensical speed limits on safe, open roads.

"We also advocating for a better system of creating fair working conditions and supporting businesses, and believe the current Fair Pay Agreements Act doesn’t recognise that, so we’re also supportive of the plans to repeal this legislation."

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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