This is my first column for TransportTalk in my new role as Road Transport Forum chief executive, however, before I get into that I’d like to acknowledge the achievement of NZTA, KiwiRail and the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) alliance that recently won the Institution of Civil Engineers People’s Choice Award.
This global award is deserved international recognition for what continues to be an incredible engineering project.
The Kaikoura rehabilitation beat out nine other international finalists to take the prestigious prize including an impressive harbour treatment scheme in Hong Kong, a new metro rail system in Hyderabad and the Forth Replacement Crossing project in Scotland.
Being a people’s choice award meant that it came down to the public’s vote to determine the winner.
The fact that the Kaikoura project received more votes than projects in far more populous places speaks a great deal for the impact that the project has had on the communities and industries that have relied on it to get State Highway 1 and the rail line back up and running.
Without even taking into account the broader labour and logistical challenges the sheer weight of numbers behind the project are staggering.
More than 200 areas along State Highway 1 were affected by the earthquake.
Close to 1 million cubic metres of loose material fell onto the road and rail line and had to be moved.
More than 30 slips were identified south of Kaikōura and nine major slips north of Kaikōura.
Nearly 900 sites sustained damage along the rail line, including tunnels, bridges and embankments.
The line itself was buried under more than 90 slips and landslides and 59 bridges and 20 rail tunnels were damaged.
Clearing, repairing and remediating the damage was a massive undertaking and to have both the road and rail routes at least partially open little more than a year after the earthquake was an amazing accomplishment.
The road transport industry is grateful for all the work that went into it and as New Zealanders I believe we can all take some pride in this award.
Let me also take this opportunity to introduce myself as you will be hearing from me quite a bit in the future.
Before taking on the role here at RTF, I was executive director of the New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council representing the alcoholic beverages industry, which as you’d expect, attracts an extremely vocal collection of opponents.
Before that I was mayor of Porirua and a Porirua City councillor.
I am therefore used to the rough-and-tumble of political debate and advocacy.
I am excited to carry on the good work that RTF does in representing the road transport sector and am determined to make sure that New Zealanders understand the value of the road transport industry in their lives.
The ability to move goods around freely and easily, helps maintain and enhance our collective quality of life and ensures Kiwi’s livelihoods are protected.
My job is to vividly illustrate that story on your behalf.
I also want the forum to continue to focus on assisting road transport operators in their businesses by helping to simplify and explain complex regulation and compliance issues.
Road transport is obviously a sector that exists in a fairly unique commercial environment.
We use a publicly-available and funded facility, the roading network, to prosecute our day-to-day business activities and hopefully make a profit.
While it is natural to complain about the amount of compliance that exists and the cost that that has on the bottom line, it is important that as a sector we meet our regulatory obligations and enhance the positive perception of our industry amongst members of the public.
It is about getting the balance right.
My initial impression is that government transport officials have a reasonable understanding of what the road transport industry requires in terms of regulatory consistency and our right to have a voice at the decision-making table.
I hope to represent you and your interests to the best of my ability and to do so I will need you to help me get to know the ins and outs of the industry.
Suffice it to say that my technical knowledge when it comes to heavy vehicles is pretty limited, but I am lucky to have experienced and knowledgeable staff to help me out with that.
To effectively represent you, I need to meet as many of you as possible, to understand what makes your businesses tick.
I’m keen to engage with you so please don’t hesitate to get in touch, I am always open to feedback and am thoroughly looking forward to the challenges ahead.
