All articles by Murray King

Late last year in the District Court in Thames, a forest owner and a trucking operator were convicted under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 in relation to a logging truck crash. The nine axle HPMV truck, weighing 47.8 tonnes, failed to negotiate a tight bend on a steep downgrade and rolled over, killing the driver.

John Gardiner, writing elsewhere in this issue, notes a number of key improvements in technology that continue to make rail competitive. Not far from home, there are other major technological changes that could also improve the service offered by rail.

In Australia, the Heavy Vehicle National Law provides for heavy penalties for actors in the road freight industry for safety offences. The key point of difference from usual road laws is that they are aimed at all participants in the decisions that led to a safety incident, including those outside the transport sector. Thus all actors from sender to receiver are covered, in what is known as the “chain of responsibility”.

In the recent King’s Birthday and Coronation Honours List, Jo was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. CILT welcomes this recognition of her extensive contribution to transport and the wider community in New Zealand, and warmly congratulates her on the honour.

Three major weather events in January and February this year caused large scale flooding which severely damaged North Island road and rail infrastructure, particularly in Hawke’s Bay. This extended issue covers the recent storms and their impacts.

During January and February, the North Island was subject to three severe weather events (as defined in the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Act 2023): Cyclone Hale, from 8 – 12 January, the Auckland Anniversary Day storm from 26 January – 3 February, and Cyclone Gabrielle from 12 – 16 February. All of them affected the railway system, but most of the impact was from Gabrielle.

In Brett André’s interesting new book ‘Can’t Get There From Here: New Zealand Passenger Rail since 1920’ he argues that past managements and politicians have been half hearted in their approach to carrying people, and that with a bit of effort (and funding) we could see a resurgence in passenger rail in New Zealand.

The GPS puts the Government policy stamp on the spending by the National Land Transport Fund. Over the next ten years most spending will be on roads and their safety, improvement and maintenance.

A major study which addresses a gap in the NZ Transport Agency’s Economic Evaluation Manual has recently been completed. The study assesses values that freight shippers would place on speedier delivery and more reliable arrival times.