Road freight body Transport New Zealand is proposing a major shake-up to unify its four regions into one national structure.
The proposal, which is currently in the consultation phase, aims to create a more democratic organisation and reduce administrative costs, it says.
“It’s important to say upfront, that this a consultation draft and that nothing is cast in stone,” Transporting NZ chair Warwick Wilshier says.
“However, if we want to achieve ‘one voice’ and be ready for a future collaboration with National Road Carriers and New Zealand Trucking, it’s really important we get our own house in order first,” he adds.
In late 2021, Transporting NZ made an unsuccessful attempt to form a single national organisation with competing road freight bodies National Road Carriers and New Zealand Trucking.
Auckland-based NRC and Christchurch-based NZ Trucking are part of one organisation, Owner Carriers Association of New Zealand (OCANZ), which held four spots on the Transporting NZ board which have since been relinquished.
They claimed to represent around 64% of the Transporting NZ membership at the time and said the offer to merge into one single organisation was an “untenable proposal”. They said it would create one centralised industry body based in Wellington.
Wilshier says it was “disappointing” for the board not to be able to pull off the merger at the time.
“This is still our long-term aim, but we want to improve what we do for our members and the wider industry now. We hope that by making these changes, Transporting New Zealand will be streamlined and ready when the chance comes around again.”
“The world is changing and membership associations need to move with the times in order to stay relevant and keep growing.
“That’s why the board has put together the proposal. We can’t organise ourselves in the same way we did decades ago, back when each region could employ their own staff, ran their own conferences and fundraisers, and had sufficient volunteer capacity to run autonomously,” he says.
Wilshier points out that Transporting NZ is not alone in seeking to restructure as a national association. Civil Contractors NZ, Hospitality NZ , Automobile Association and NZ Kiwifruit Growers have all moved away from having separately incorporated regions or branches, while still remaining member-driven and focused on the grassroots, he says.
“It’s important to note that any changes would require the approval of all regional associations. There won’t be any forcing of this, but I can say that as chair of Transporting New Zealand and a longtime member of Region 2, I believe it’s the best way for our organisation to grow and sustain itself,” Wilshier says.
Transporting NZ members are invited to join a lunchtime Zoom Q&A session on Friday, February 17 by emailing info@transporting.nz for a link. Members can also contact Warwick Wilshier directly by email: Warwick@transporting.nz.
*Click here for a copy of the proposal.
