MP’s tour of workshop floor

National Party Transport Spokesperson Simeon Brown visited MTA member business Auckland Panel and Paint last month to gain more understanding of the industry and the current issues it is facing. Business owner and MTA

President Bob Boniface gave Brown the full tour from the workshop floor to the paint booth and mixing room. With many of the skilled staff at the business being new migrants, it provided a great illustration of the challenge business owners face in finding the skilled employees they need to continue operating. The visit also gave MTA CEO Lee Marshall and Advocacy and Stakeholder Manager Brian Anderton an opportunity to discuss and highlight the current challenges in the industry with Brown.

The number of new migrants at the business and in the industry came as no surprise, Brown said, considering the difficulties employers have had finding staff since the borders reopened following Covid-19.

“It’s great to see that individuals from various parts of the world can arrive in New Zealand and make meaningful contributions to our economy, especially within the transport sector,” Brown said.

“I know that many businesses have been struggling to attain skilled workers, so it is always great to see immigrants choose to make New Zealand their home while helping our businesses operate and provide for the country.”

With the complexity of the national fleet growing year on year, and a broader range of technology involved in both the make-up of vehicles and the repair of them, he says he’s keen to see businesses supported to keep up with the changes.

“Ensuring that workers are upskilled to deal with the new innovative technologies that are emerging within the transport sector in New Zealand is important,” Brown says.

“As new technologies emerge, it is crucial that the private transport sector adapt to these changes to provide motorists with the services they need to maintain and operate their vehicles.

“Making sure that businesses within the motor industry are supported to adapt to these changes is something that the Government should be looking into as new technologies emerge and is something that I would be actively looking into as Transport Minister.”

He added that a top priority, if National is in a fortunate position to form a Government in October, will be to begin construction on key transport infrastructure projects around the country to reduce the transport infrastructure deficit.

“This begins with futureproofing our roading network by ensuring that the National Land Transport Fund is resilient, reliable, and primarily focused on building and maintaining our roads.

“Another priority I will bring to the role is implementing National’s recently announced Pothole Repair Fund, which will fix the countless numbers of potholes that have been causing havoc on our roads for motorists and freight operators around the country.”

MTA has invited politicians and transport spokespeople from parties from all sides of the House to visit our members’ businesses and get a close-up look at various sectors of the industry.