All “Strategy” topics

New Zealand’s transport and logistics sector is accustomed to operating in cycles, whether that is electoral, fiscal, or economic. But infrastructure does not move to three-year timetables. Ports, rail corridors, highways, intermodal hubs, and energy systems are intergenerational assets. When investment falters or priorities shift abruptly, freight flows feel the consequences first.

New Zealand’s Aviation Action Plan 2025, released by the Interim Aviation Council, sets a clear direction for a sector that is both economically vital and increasingly challenged. The plan outlines […]

This article sets out KiwiRail’s thinking on decarbonisation, which concluded that battery electric locomotives were the right choice for the future. Building on that, KiwiRail have developed outline plans for moving to electric propulsion for the Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga lines (the “Golden Triangle”).

This article summarises an internal KiwiRail study recommending electrification based on a mix of extending overhead line electrification (“OLE”) and battery electric locomotives as the preferred path to decarbonising the KiwiRail mainline locomotive fleet by 2050. The article focuses on the technical rather than the business aspects of the issue.

New Zealand’s freight system is under mounting pressure. Demand is rising, weather events are worsening, costs are volatile, and operators are navigating regulatory settings that have not kept pace with the country’s freight task. The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA)’s Action Plan for Freight 2024–27 sets out to address these structural issues by tightening its weakest bolts – not by reinventing the system.

The Government’s new National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) could easily have been renamed the “highway funding project”, given its intense focus on road building. Released this month, the plan outlines funding priorities for the next three years. If it comes to fruition, much of the spending will be driven into major highway schemes, and steered away from sustainable transport alternatives for the main cities. 

The government’s new transport strategy encompasses a broad pipeline of work, focusing on both immediate improvements and long-term developments. It shifts the focus for transport investment from three-year short-term thinking to a more ambitious and aspirational 10-year framework. This will help to give certainty and stability to delivery partners both in the local government and construction sectors.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown answers Logistics & Transport NZ’s questions.

Imagine trying to build a house without a plan. It’d be a disaster. Building a transport network is no different, except that it needs to be detailed, thorough, and robust. A plan has been developed and it is called “Arataki”.

The freight and supply chain system faces substantial changes over the coming years but a new strategy sets out goals and focus areas for the next three, 10 and 30 years.

The Government policy statement (GPS) is a statutorily-required document that sets the government’s revenue for the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) – i.e., fuel excise duty, RUC – and details what that revenue is to be spent on, at a high level, by using “activity classes”.

The Ministry of Business, Employment and Innovation engaged Andreas Heuser and his team to determine some detailed modelling and analysis for the supply-demand, and distribution of hydrogen – including potential export markets.

In this guest editorial Diane Edwards, new CILT NZ President, introduces herself and shares a draft strategy for CILT which will be further developed and implemented in collaboration with membership in future.

Freight has been a prominent agenda item for South Island regional councillors in recent months. Supply chain disruptions and the recent government direction to reduce transport-sector greenhouse gas emissions have heightened interest in the topic.

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