Latest news with #DomKalasih
Scoop
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Scoop
Road Transport Workforce Report Released
National road freight association Transporting New Zealand has released the landmark 2025 Road Transport Workforce Report, in collaboration with Teletrac Navman. The report explores how the demographic makeup of New Zealand's road freight industry evolved between 2013 and 2023, drawing from previously unreleased census data. The detailed snapshot of New Zealand's trucking workforce revealed key insights around age, gender, nationality and ethnicity. Drivers aged over 65 made up more than 10 per cent of the workforce in 2023. This finding echoed that of the recent 2025 National Road Freight Survey, in which almost half of industry respondents (47 per cent) indicated that "up to 25 per cent" or more of their staff would retire or leave the industry in the next five years. The workforce report also found that the number of female truck drivers increased by 240 per cent between 2013 and 2023. Female drivers made up six per cent of the truck driving workforce in 2023. Migrant workers are also playing an increasingly important role with almost 25 per cent of drivers being born overseas as of 2023. Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Dom Kalasih says the report provides a valuable insight into the truck driving workforce. "Truck drivers make up 1.2% of New Zealand's total workforce, making it the 11th most common occupation in the country." "With nearly 93% of New Zealand's total freight tonnage moved by road, the demand for road freight services will only increase as our population continues to grow. Ensuring that the sector is staffed with skilled, capable drivers is more important than ever." "As the workforce gets older, more truck drivers will reduce their hours or retire, leaving severe skill shortages. The road freight industry and the government must work together to ensure new entrants are supported through the driver development pipeline". "The report sets out how Transporting New Zealand has been responding to these challenges, and how the road freight industry can develop, recruit and retain a diverse and resilient workforce." "We're very grateful to Teletrac Navman for supporting the Road Transport Workforce Report, as part of the multi-year Te ara ki tua Road to Success workforce development programme." The full 2025 Road Transport Workforce Report can be viewed here. About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country. Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.
Scoop
07-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Lack Of Freight Data Will Hinder Growth, Productivity
The Ministry of Transport's surprise cancellation of a long-anticipated freight study has been slammed by national freight body Transporting New Zealand, who says it will leave policymakers guessing when it comes to investing in road, rail and coastal shipping. The Ministry of Transport has decided not to proceed with a new iteration of the National Freight Demand Study, despite having already sunk $164,000 on external advice relating to the project. Previous Demand Studies looked at total changes in freight movement by mode (road, rail and coastal shipping), commodities transported, and the origin and destination of freight across different regions, and freight forecasts. This included the insight that in tonnage terms, road freight accounted for 92.8% of the freight task, with rail and coastal shipping at 5.6% and 1.6% respectively as at 2017/2018. Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Dom Kalasih said that the cancellation of the project came at a critical time for New Zealand's supply chain and transport system. "At a time when we're seeing reduced freight capacity across the Cook Strait, serious international trade uncertainty, falling rail volumes, and huge pressure on the National Land Transport Fund, we need to be making well-evidenced investment decisions." "The Government is not going to meet its goal of doubling the value of exports in 10 years if they don't have a productive multi-modal supply chain to move freight across the country." "With increasing pressure on the National Land Transport Fund, the Government needs to be targeting transport investment to where it will be most effective." Kalasih says while he understands there is pressure on the Ministry of Transport to make operational savings, he says that poorly evidenced transport investments will cost the Government far more than any costs of the National Freight Demand Study. "Transporting New Zealand has consistently emphasised the importance of good quality freight data when we meet with the Ministry of Transport. We highlighted the importance of an updated National Freight Demand Study in particular." "We've raised our concerns directly with the Ministry, and hope that the decision will be urgently reconsidered." About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country. Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.
Scoop
26-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Freight Companies Need Flexibility To End Unworkable Employment Relationships
Transporting New Zealand is backing a proposed law change that could make it easier for freight companies to part ways with unsafe drivers. If enacted, the Employment Relations (Termination of Employment by Agreement) Amendment would enable employers to initiate protected conversations for the purpose of ending an employment agreement by settlement. Under the Bill, an employee would have to agree to have the conversation and cannot be coerced into signing anything. Simply having the discussion is not, on its own, grounds for a personal grievance claim. "The current employment dispute resolution process in New Zealand is marked by costly delays, says chief executive Dom Kalasih. "In high-risk industries like freight transport, we cannot afford to wait when it comes to dismissing a hazardous driver." He says terminations are rare in the industry and usually occur for exceptional reasons, such as drug use, repeated speeding or logbook breaches. "This is a public safety issue," Kalasih says. The advocacy group cited examples from members who have faced long, costly processes to dismiss drivers who have failed drug tests or showed up to work impaired. "This Bill provides a way to avoid unnecessary delays and expenses associated with working through the entire process, when the ultimate result is the same - termination of employment." Speaking to the Education and Workforce select committee on Wednesday, Kalasih said the current framework imposes unreasonable costs and delays on employers and employees alike. Currently, parties are waiting up to three months to have their cases mediated by MBIE before it can even progress to the Employment Relations Authority. The vast majority of cases are already resolved by financial settlement. The industry association is satisfied that the protections in the Bill and the voluntary nature of protected negotiations are adequate safeguards against abuse of the framework by bad-faith employers. Kalasih says similar legislation has been in place in the UK since 2013 and has been running smoothly there. "Transporting New Zealand does not condone workplace bullying or non-compliance with the law," Kalasih says. "The Bill must ensure that employees are given adequate time to seek independent advice and that any pre-termination negotiations can still be used as evidence if they have involved coercion, discrimination or dishonesty." About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter-regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country. Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.
Scoop
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Transporting New Zealand Welcomes Opening Of Te Ahu A Turanga: Manawatū-Tararua Highway
National road freight organisation Transporting New Zealand says this Saturday's official opening of the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū-Tararua Highway is great news for the freight industry, and the region's communities. Chief executive Dom Kalasih says the highway will deliver a safe, reliable and resilient connection between the Manawatū and Tararua districts. [Traffic will be able to use the highway from next week.] The highway replaces the Manawatū Gorge route, closed in 2017 due to slips. The new 11.5km highway is a major milestone for the freight sector and regional communities. It will take about 13 minutes to drive by car, or around 18 minutes for freight vehicles, to move between the districts. Kalasih says it will be a relief for people who have had to use the challenging Saddle Road detour for nearly 8 years. "This new highway will make a real difference to the flow of freight and to the lives of drivers." "We also think it is a win that this is a non-tolled road,' he says. Transporting New Zealand strongly opposed a proposed toll, noting the Saddle Road was never fit for purpose and the region deserved a safe, free alternative. "This is a replacement road, not a luxury upgrade," Kalasih says. "Our members were clear - tolling this essential link would be unfair and would raise the cost of freight, hitting consumers across the board." Kalasih says all the engineering that's gone into the build is impressive. The project involved: 6.5 million cubic metres of earthworks 30,000 cubic metres of concrete 3.5 million mahi hours 2,500 workers Nearly 2 million native plants planted for environmental restoration. The highway holds deep cultural importance, following a historic Māori travel route between the coasts and is named after Te Ahu a Turanga - the former resting place of Turanga-i-Mua, the son of the Aotea waka captain Turi who was killed in a battle there. One of the standout physical features is the Parahaki Bridge near Ashhurst - at 300 metres long and 30 metres wide, it spans the fast-flowing Manawatū River on a fault line and in one of the windiest areas of the North Island. "It's taken years of commitment, coordination and skill to complete such a complex build in an ecologically sensitive and geologically challenging location," says Kalasih. "Well done to all who played a part in making this happen."
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Government Can't Take Its Foot Of The Gas Pedal On Transport Infrastructure
Road transport advocacy group Transporting New Zealand has welcomed boosts for road repair and investment incentives in today's budget - but says the Government has missed the opportunity to accelerate the Roads of National and Regional Significance, along with other growth-orientated infrastructure investments. The Government has announced a $464 million capital and $141 million operating budget for rail maintenance to increase the reliability for commuters and freight in the Auckland and Wellington metro areas, and to replace ageing bridges, culverts and other assets. The Government also announced $219 million in additional operating funding to complete recovery works on local roads that were damaged in the 2023 North Island weather events. Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Dom Kalasih says this roading boost will be reassuring to their freight operator members in the affected areas. "We're pleased to see $219 million to fund local road repair following Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods. This will provide important certainty for the East Coast and Hawke's Bay." Transporting New Zealand has also welcomed Investment Boost, a new tax incentive which enables businesses to immediately deduct 20 per cent of the cost of a new asset, on top of depreciation. However, Kalasih said the devil would be in the details. Transporting New Zealand is more cautious about the boost in rail spending, saying the Government will have to carefully monitor spending to ensure value for money. "Rail freight plays an important supplementary role in transporting non-time sensitive cargo - 5.6 per cent of the freight task by tonnage compared to 92.8 per cent for road freight. New Zealand needs a resilient multi-modal transport system." "However, as noted in the Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024 - rail freight volumes steadily declined in the past six years, despite receiving almost $2.5 billion in Crown funding. The Government must hold KiwiRail to account on delivering a return on this additional investment if they want to turn things around." Transporting New Zealand says it would have liked to see additional capital funding to support the infrastructure pipeline, avoiding further cuts and delays. "Just this week we've seen NZTA announce downgrades to the design of the Ōtaki to north of Levin new (tolled) highway that will impact safety and efficiency, reflecting cost pressures," says Kalasih. "If the Government wants to deliver a more productive, safe and efficient network of State Highways and local roads, it needs to be prioritising additional funding and revenue for growth-orientated projects like the Roads of National and Regional Significance." About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country. Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.
