The national voice for New Zealand's road freight transport industry.
Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is a national membership association representing road freight operators, including owner-drivers, small and large fleets, couriers, industry suppliers and supporting businesses. Established in 1997 as the Road Transport Forum New Zealand, it traces its origins to road-transport associations formed in the 1920s. The organisation adopted its current name in 2021. Following member consultation, it moved from an association umbrella structure to a single national membership organisation in 2024, with regional representation and sector groups. It reports 1,100 members operating a combined fleet of 14,000 heavy vehicles. Its work covers advocacy, member services, industry events, workforce development, safety, infrastructure, regulation and emissions reduction. The organisation is based in Wellington and remains a member of the International Road Transport Union, which records its membership from 1973.
Submissions and engagement with Parliament, the Ministry of Transport, NZ Transport Agency, regulators and local government on road funding, RUC, infrastructure, safety, productivity and regulatory policy.
Member services include fuel, tyre, insurance, technology and professional-service arrangements, regional support, compliance information and discounted industry events.
Workforce-development programme supporting recruitment, training and career pathways in road freight.
Workforce initiative and Diversity Toolbox providing guidance on inclusive recruitment, workplace support and diversity in road-freight businesses.
Emissions-reduction framework and self-assessment resources covering fleet efficiency, fuels, vehicle technology, driver training and supporting infrastructure.
Member forums focused on operating sectors and regional issues, used to inform the association's national advocacy.
Quarterly Grant Thornton New Zealand index tracking fuel, RUC, wages and salaries, depreciation and interest, overheads, and repair and maintenance costs.
National conference, seminars, regional updates and industry awards connecting operators with policymakers, regulators and suppliers.
Members-only mobile app launched in October 2025, providing road alerts, journey planning, industry and compliance updates, notifications and road-hazard reporting.
Online resources include port and container-depot tariff information, fuel pricing updates, a fuel calculator and industry news.
Origins traced to the Master Carriers Federation and, later, the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance, early New Zealand road-transport industry organisations.
New Zealand road-transport representation joined the International Road Transport Union; the IRU continues to list Transporting New Zealand as a member from 1973.
The New Zealand Road Transport Association was reconstituted as the Road Transport Forum, incorporating regional associations and their administrative bodies.
Road Transport Association New Zealand was formed from regional structures and operated separately from the Road Transport Forum.
Road Transport Association New Zealand and the Road Transport Forum combined their operations under one structure.
The Road Transport Forum rebranded as Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand. National Road Carriers and the New Zealand Trucking Association subsequently left the federation.
The board consulted members on replacing the regional federation with a unified national structure aligned with the Incorporated Societies Act 2022. Nick Leggett departed as chief executive and Dom Kalasih became acting chief executive.
Transporting New Zealand implemented a new constitution and single national membership structure, supported by regional branches and sector groups. Dom Kalasih was confirmed as chief executive, and Cam Bagrie was appointed independent director and board chair.
Shona Robertson was elected to the board in October. The organisation launched its members-only mobile app and supported legislative preparation for universal RUC while opposing provisions allowing corridor tolling of existing roads.
In January and February, Transporting New Zealand submitted and presented on the Land Transport (Revenue) Amendment Bill. It supported RUC modernisation but opposed corridor tolling and proposals that could compel heavy vehicles to use toll roads.
Chief Executive
Confirmed as chief executive in October 2024 after serving in an interim capacity for 18 months. His previous roles include work at the Land Transport Safety Authority/NZ Transport Agency, the Ministry of Transport, Shell and Z Energy.
Board Chair (Independent)
Independent economist and managing director of Bagrie Economics. Former chief economist at ANZ, with previous roles at the National Bank, Treasury and Statistics New Zealand.
Board Member
Managing director and owner of Tranzliquid, and an advisory member of the Petroleum Industry Transport Safety Forum.
Board Member
Managing director of BLH Holdings, general manager of Southern Milk Transport and Talley's group fleet manager. Re-elected for a fifth year in October 2025.
Board Member
General manager of Brenics, with experience in food-grade linehaul transport, storage, supply-chain management and governance.
Board Member
General manager of NZ Express Transport and an experienced transport and logistics executive involved in heavy-vehicle productivity initiatives.
Board Member
Managing director of Road Transport Logistics and vice-president of the National Livestock Transport and Safety Council. Elected to the board in October 2025.
Former Chief Executive (2019–2023)
Former Mayor of Porirua. Led the Road Transport Forum through its 2021 rebrand and left in 2023 to become chief executive of Infrastructure New Zealand.
Transporting New Zealand is a national industry association representing 1,100 road-freight members with a combined fleet of 14,000 heavy vehicles. It regularly submits on RUC legislation and regulation. The association supports a simple, cost-reflective user-pays system and the transition from fuel excise duty to universal RUC. Its January 2026 submission supported modernising RUC through electronic records, flexible payments and wider device and provider options, while seeking clarification on in-vehicle telematics and intermediary service providers.
The Road Transport Forum (now Transporting New Zealand) organised a massive nationwide truck protest on 3 July 2008 against overnight increases in road user charges. Approximately 4,500 trucks drove slow-rolling convoys through city centres during morning rush hours in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and other major towns, causing significant disruption. Transport Minister Annette King was forced to establish a working party to review the RUC formula.
Transporting New Zealand CEO Nick Leggett strongly opposed the Ministry of Transport's 'Driving Change' discussion document, which proposed expanding the RUC system to charge for noise pollution, congestion, and climate externalities. Leggett argued the proposal was 'barking up the wrong tree,' insisting RUC's strength lies in its simplicity as a user-pays system for road maintenance.
In August 2024, Transporting New Zealand publicly backed the transition of all light vehicles from fuel excise duty to a universal road user charges system. Interim Chief Executive Dom Kalasih argued that fuel excise was no longer equitable because newer, heavier petrol SUVs were paying less per kilometre of road wear than older, lighter vehicles, and that a weight-and-distance-based RUC system would be fairer for all road users.
215632
9429042710059
NZ Incorporated Society
1997
Level 3, iPayroll House, 93 Boulcott Street, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand
Source: NZ Companies Office · Last checked February 2026
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