Newly appointed Road Transport Forum chief executive Nick Leggett has his feet under the desk and is ready for action.
He is looking forward to getting around the country over the next few months to talk with business owners and transport operators and “get the real word on what they are experiencing and how the RTF can help”.
As former mayor of Porirua and more recently executive director of the New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council, he has developed important political connections for the role.
Leggett says he will use these connections to lobby hard for the transport industry.
Some of the current hot topics he will be “keeping an eye on” include NZ Transport Agency compliancy and regulation, changes to employment law and fuel prices.
Leggett says he has received a friendly welcome from people in the industry since his appointment was announced in October.
There are a lot of technical issues to learn but the RTF has “excellent staff” well connected to industry associations throughout the country who are always ready to help.
Leggett says he is looking forward to the challenge and the RTF is a group he has long admired for its strong and effective advocacy.
As mayor, he was always supportive of the need for first-class state highway and roading networks.
This included campaigning for the Kapiti expressway and Transmission Gully.
Leggett supports a “holistic approach” when it comes to improving the efficiency of road transport and that “one project doesn’t solve a problem”.
“Over time we want to remove domestic cars if we can and allow freight to travel more freely and more productively”.
“The Road Transport Forum and its constituent associations have a proud history representing a sector that is at the heart of so much economic activity.
“I am excited to carry on that good work and assist road transport operators to get the most out of their businesses and meet the challenges coming their way,” Leggett says.
Road Transport Forum chairman Neil Reid says he’s looking forward to working with Leggett “who will have responsibility for leading the national body of the New Zealand trucking industry in a time of significant change for the sector”.
“There are both significant challenges and exciting opportunities facing the road transport industry in the coming years across the political, regulatory and business environments,” Reid says.
*Go to page 31 to read Leggett’s first column for TransportTalk.
