The Government has announced three major initiatives to strengthen New Zealand’s freight network, an Action Plan for Freight, an updated National Freight Demand Study, and the creation of a new Freight Advisory Council, aimed at supporting economic growth, productivity, and resilience across the supply chain.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the initiatives recognise the critical role freight plays in driving New Zealand’s economy.
“New Zealand’s freight system is the driving force behind our economy. It gets food and fibres from farms to factories, and then on to shops in New Zealand, or to ports to be exported for overseas markets. Freight underpins economic growth and supports tens of thousands of jobs,” said Bishop earlier this month.
Each year around 300 million tonnes of freight move across the country, mostly by road, covering over 30 billion tonne kilometres. Freight volumes are projected to increase by 55 percent over the next 20 years, according to the Minister.
“We need to support our freight system to keep up with demand as our economy grows,” he said.
“I am pleased to confirm three meaningful steps the Government is taking to keep our freight system trucking along.”
Led by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), the new Action Plan aims to maximise the economic value of freight by improving data use, guiding smarter investment, and updating regulatory settings to lift productivity.
Key actions include reconfirming nationally and regionally strategic freight networks, establishing appropriate road freight levels of service, researching network vulnerabilities, updating the rest area strategy, and improving measures for interpeak freight travel time predictability.
“NZTA is well placed to lead this work, as our state highways carry almost 75 percent of all freight journeys and connect our regions, cities, towns, inland ports and freight hubs, main seaports, and airports,” Bishop said.
The plan also supports KiwiRail through the Rail Network Investment Programme to focus investment on the busiest and most productive parts of the rail network.
After being paused last year, the National Freight Demand Study will be reinstated, this time under NZTA’s management and funding.
The study tracks freight movement by mode (road, rail, and coastal shipping), commodity, and region, providing essential data to inform long-term investment and planning.
“The freight sector has been calling for its reinstatement,” Bishop said.
“I have listened, and I agree with them – the insights this study generates are essential for making smart investment decisions.”
The new Freight Advisory Council will be made up of senior industry leaders across all transport modes. Convened by the Secretary for Transport, the council will provide insights and advice to Ministers and government agencies on freight issues and opportunities.
“Whether it’s making better use of freight data to drive investment decisions or improving regulatory settings for increased productivity, these actions for freight will smooth the road for our importers, exporters and freight operators so they can get their goods out across the country, quickly and safely,” Bishop said.
The National Road Carriers Association (NRC) welcomed the announcement, describing it as a major win for the sector.
NRC Chief Executive Justin Tighe-Umbers said the initiatives reflect long-standing industry calls for a coordinated, data-driven approach to freight and supply chain management.
“NRC has strongly advocated for a research and data-based plan to better meet the country’s current and future supply chain, along with structured collaboration with the freight sector to ensure the plan is informed by the practical expertise of the people who work in it,” he said.
“Transport Minister Chris Bishop has listened to our call and we could hardly have asked for a better response than the three initiatives he has announced today.”
He said the formation of the Freight Advisory Council was particularly encouraging for manufacturers and exporters.
“As an exporting nation that depends on imports, New Zealand is at the end of the world’s supply chains. Ensuring our domestic and international supply chains operate well is essential for our global competitiveness and sustained economic growth.”
Tighe-Umbers added that collaboration between government and industry, backed by freight data insights, would be key to tackling complex supply chain challenges.
“Collaboration between industry and government is the only way to deliver commercially competitive, robust, adaptable New Zealand made products to the world.”
The NRC represents 1,500 members operating 16,000 trucks across New Zealand and provides legal, financial, employment, and regulatory support to the sector.
