New Zealand’s freight network has an important role to play in the country's economy, with over 93% of freight by weight is moved by road.
Given the country’s dispersed population, challenging topography, and reliance on primary industries, planning for heavy vehicle freight requires a nuanced, resilient, and future-focused approach. An approach which has evolved over time.
Today we thought we would focus on key planning considerations, lessons learned and exciting opportunities ahead!
Key Planning Considerations
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High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMVs): The introduction of HPMVs has significantly improved freight efficiency. However, it has also required targeted investment in infrastructure upgrades and bridge strengthening to accommodate increased axle loads.
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Strategic Freight Networks (SFNs): Auckland’s SFN, developed from the 2006 Regional Freight Strategy, prioritises corridors critical to freight movement. It highlights the importance of integrating land use and freight planning to reduce urban conflict and improve last-mile access.
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Decarbonisation and Resilience: Road freight contributes nearly a quarter of New Zealand’s transport emissions. The Aotearoa Freight and Supply Chain Strategy (2023) prioritises decarbonising heavy freight through zero-emissions vehicles, modal shift to rail and coastal shipping, and improved route optimisation.
Lessons Learned
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Permitting and Local Coordination: The success of HPMVs hinged on streamlined permitting processes and strong collaboration between Waka Kotahi and local councils. Fragmented approaches led to inconsistent access and underutilisation of upgraded corridors.
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Data-Driven Planning: Investment decisions have improved where freight volumes, vehicle types, and route performance are monitored in real time. This has enabled better prioritisation of maintenance and upgrades.
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Stakeholder Engagement: Early and ongoing engagement with freight operators, iwi, and local communities has proven essential in balancing economic benefits with safety, amenity, and environmental concerns.
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Resilience Planning: COVID-19 disruptions exposed vulnerabilities in international and domestic supply chains. This has accelerated efforts to diversify port access, strengthen inland freight hubs, and build redundancy into key corridors.
Opportunities Ahead
There are some exciting opportunities ahead, which focus around emission reduction and an increase in the number of freight EVs. Key opportunities include:
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Expansion of green freight corridors and electrification infrastructure
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Integration of freight planning into regional spatial strategies
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Enhanced use of digital twins and freight modelling tools for scenario testing
It will be an interesting space to watch, that is for sure!
Till next time.
Andrew
Transit Trends · Andrew Collings, KA Advisory. Read and comment on the original on LinkedIn.
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