Change is really afoot now.
In my last column I discussed the election policies of the various political parties as they related to transport.
We now have three of those parties in power and already we’re seeing the changes they want to bring about.
These range from shifting the Ports of Auckland through to more spending on rail, abandoning the east-west link in Onehunga and local fuel taxes, to a greater emphasis on safety in road investment.
The greater focus on transport must be welcome, even if some readers will find particular policies run counter to their own views.
And I think the wider view of transport as a whole, rather than a focus on roading, is also welcome.
It fits well with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport’s (CILT) view of transport as a whole.
And who could criticise greater focus on road safety, at a time where we have already surpassed last year’s road toll and there’s still a few weeks to go?
The new associate minister in charge of transport safety, Julie Anne Genter, wants the roading budget to be reprioritised in favour of safety at the expense of investing for more traffic.
That will cause angst in some quarters and it will be interesting to see how it pans out.
Genter also wants to focus on the “Vision Zero” approach already used overseas in places such as in Scandinavia. That’s all about making the roads more forgiving for the driver who makes a mistake, and not only means safer roadsides and better engineering but also reduction of speed limits on some parts of the network.
That will impact on anyone who is a driver and will also be interesting to watch.
In 2005 a Wellington lawyer wrote an article with the headline “It was the road’s fault, Your Honour”.
She was commenting on an Australian case that appeared to open the door for roading authorities to be liable for faulty roads, but I think the headline was a bit tongue in cheek. However, we could be seeing exactly that defence being raised in the future.
The CILT has a new chairman, Cormac McBride, who intends to follow the same theme of change within the organisation.
He is a consultant who is an expert in the application of IT to transport, through things like Intelligent Transport Systems and autonomous vehicles. He is focusing on partnering with the people, trusted brands and academic and government organisations across the logistics and transport industry, and how the organisation can best serve them.
We recognise the importance of growing public awareness and profile, about what we can already offer members, as well what they say they need. We trust this will encourage new members – if you are interested see www.cilt.co.nz or email info@cilt.co.nz.
We are also looking to set up a formal direct information channel to allow our members to provide key decision-makers with relevant evidence on specific topics without crossing the line into lobbying.
In October we held our annual awards dinner. Our premier award, the Sir Bob Owens Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Logistics and Supply Chain Industry and the Community, went to emeritus professor Chris Kissling for his lifetime of service to the industry.
Another highlight of the awards for me was the presentation of certificates to the 11 future leaders of our industry who graduated from our “Leaders for the Future” programme run by leadership expert and past institute president Jo Brosnahan.
The programme is tailored to meet the needs of leaders working within a broad range of transport and logistics roles. It provides a leader with opportunities to build leadership capabilities through their own personal development and by learning from the experiences of others, including senior members of the industry.
It also focuses on issues that will be faced in leading an organisation into a future full of daunting problems. The 2018 programme is now open for applications. See the CILT website for details.
Also open for application, with details on the website, is the Transport Research and Educational Trust’s annual grant.
This year we are offering a $5000 grant for a research project on a transport or logistics related subject.
As long as the project meets the trust’s aims of promoting, encouraging and coordinating the study and advancement of transport in New Zealand, and is within its educational and charitable purpose, there is no limit on its nature nor the industry, branch or discipline involved. Applications close on December 20.
We all have to adapt in a time of change. CILT offers ways of preparing you and your organisation to do just that.
