Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Transporting New Zealand says the intensified focus on road maintenance and pothole repair is paying off, preventing damage to vehicles, supporting road safety and keeping Kiwis moving.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop announced this afternoon that 98 per cent of potholes on state highways were repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced by the Coalition Government.
Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Dom Kalasih says this will be welcome news to its road freight members across the country.
“Potholes and other road surfacing issues can be a nightmare for our members and other motorists. Transporting New Zealand has consistently called for a greater share of road user charges and fuel excise revenue to be directed to road maintenance and rehabilitation.” says Kalasih.
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve been hearing more complaints from our members and other road users about potholes and road surfacing issues, and these concerns were borne out by the data. In 2023, more than 62,000 potholes required repair on state highways, the highest figure in a decade.”
“Potholes can easily do thousands of dollars of damage to trucks and trailers vehicles.
“We’ve had members report erratic driving from other motorists trying to avoid them, or slowing to a crawl, which can be very dangerous.”
Kalasih says that with 92.8 per cent of New Zealand’s freight moving via road, potholes and other road surface issues are a major drag on economic growth and labour productivity.
“The Coalition Government’s establishment of the $3.9 billion Pothole Prevention Fund and ambitious targets for the repair of potholes on main state highways and regional state highways is now paying dividends.
“It’s a big endorsement of providing clear directions and targets to the New Zealand Transport Agency, and we encourage the new Minister Chris Bishop to continue the hands-on approach of his immediate predecessor, Simeon Brown.”
However Kalasih also says while Transporting New Zealand is grateful for how these repairs are going, the reality is that in an ideal world, the work shouldn’t be needed.
“Potholes are isolated failures in stretches of road. When roads are built to a high and consistent standard, these should be minimal. We’ll be engaging with NZTA to ensure road quality remains a priority and that our roads are built to last.”
About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand https://www.transporting.nz/ 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.
