National Road Carriers Association

BOILED FROGS & CRYSTAL BALLS

By James Smith, COO of National Road Carriers Association

James Smith

2021 IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE AND WE NOW LOOK TOWARDS

whatever 2022 will bring.

It is the season where reflections are pondered over and resolutions are made, occasionally assisted by a glass or two of festive cheer.

Few would have predicted the changes that have occurred in New Zealand society over the last few months. Who in their right mind would have thought “Papers please” would be part of the NZ vernacular – and that we would have segregation based on a person’s participation in a health initiative?

Therefore, I will refrain from any wild guesses as to what 2022 will bring, and restrict my ponderings to what the team at National Road Carriers will endeavour to knock off before Auld Lang Syne is belted out on December 31, 2022.

National Road Carriers has ended the year in a very strong position, both financially and in terms of delivering benefits to our members.

Our commercial partnerships are still delivering value, with more on the way in 2022.

Our relationship with local and central government has never been stronger, with regular direct engagement with politicians and agency staff.

Working parties have been set up and are under way to address some of the big-picture issues our members are facing.

A few years ago I attended a transport conference in Auckland where one of the speakers warned delegates of the dangers of becoming a boiled frog. If you weren’t there, the term boiled frog refers to the failure to respond to gradual changes in the environment until it is too late.

There are many examples in business where companies or entire industries have failed to notice the water they sit in getting hotter.

Nokia and Motorola both failed to spot the smartphone; Kodak missed the rise of the digital camera….and in transport, sailing ships missed the rise of steam, and railroads missed the rise of the truck.

National Road Carriers very nearly became a boiled frog, happily trundling along, having missed that the way agencies and politicians engaged and responded had been subtly changing for at least a decade.

It took some fairly blunt and direct feedback from both local and central government to make us sit up and notice that relying on a single voice to influence change was no longer working.

For example, when we made a comprehensive submission on Auckland Transport’s proposed changes to central city roads, officials pointed out they had received dozens of submissions from other sectors, that had adopted the quantity over quality approach, and we were drowned out by volume.

Likewise, on submissions to speed limit changes, again we were up against well-organised groups of submitters and our single voice was lost in the crowd.

The final indication was the implementation of the COVID-19 border, where it took over 100 voices to get changes to allow freight to flow and hundreds more to get meaningful support for Auckland businesses. 2022 will see National Road Carriers further adapt to this new reality. As members, you will be asked to do more to influence change. The days of relying on others to do it are over.

Already we have had the industry meeting with officials over planned roadworks, changes to speed limits in Waikato, industry training and technical changes.

Collaboration and discussion are the new normal and, with access to virtual meetings, it is now possible to participate in a discussion regardless of where you are in the country.

Some of you took part in the virtual meeting with Cabinet Ministers Wood and Clark on the border restrictions – and with the Ministry of Health on vaccination requirements for workers, that allowed direct communication and feedback.

So, without polishing the crystal too hard, it is clear enough to see that as we get under way in 2022 your ability to influence change and to be informed will increase.

There are significant hurdles in front of us. The biggest challenge, I believe, will be people – or the lack thereof.

Without capable people we cannot get the roads fixed, we cannot get drivers to drive our trucks, mechanics to service them, port workers to unload the ships or even someone to make a coffee.

As you spend time with family and friends over the festive break, ponder, pontificate and dream up ideas on what we could do better. Then, before you forget, write them down and send them to us.

As always, if you have anything that is concerning you or you have any questions, please contact any member of the NRC team, as we are there to help: 0800 686 777 or enquiries@natroad.co.nz T&D