Core Strategy - Chapter One - Transport Vision and Objectives to 2040

PART A: CORE STRATEGY

Transport vision and objectives to 2040

Transport targets: these define success at a national level and provide a basis for measuring progress. However the targets are not complete, as there are important areas of activity that currently are not represented by a target. The targets will be further developed in the future to ensure they cover the transport objectives more comprehensively. Where possible, interim targets will also be identified.

Key challenges: these are the factors that threaten the achievement of the transport vision and targets and will need to be addressed.

Key components of the Strategy: these are the strategic priorities – the areas of action that require new or additional focus to address the key challenges facing the sector. The key components do not represent all transport activity – transport agencies deliver many other actions outside these priorities that are important in achieving the vision and targets. However, greater emphasis and, where relevant, a higher priority for funding will apply to these key components.

CHAPTER ONE: VISION, OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS – WHERE WE WANT TO BE BY 2040

This Strategy is part of the government’s broad vision for a sustainable, prosperous New Zealand, secure in its identity and proud of its achievements. This Chapter describes the transport vision and targets that support a sustainable New Zealand.

1.1 The role of this Strategy

Transport touches the lives of all New Zealanders and contributes profoundly to the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of the nation. The transport sector therefore has a major role to play in supporting the government’s vision for sustainability.
This Strategy provides direction to the sector in fulfilling this role.

There are formidable challenges facing the transport sector. It needs to find affordable ways to support the economic transformation of New Zealand and improve the health, safety, security and accessibility of New Zealanders, while at the same time addressing climate change and other environmental impacts. The first New Zealand Transport Strategy was developed in 2002 to meet these challenges. Since then, global understanding of issues such as climate change has deepened. In addition, there have been calls for government to take a stronger leadership role within the transport sector. The Next Steps in the Land Transport Sector Review6 identified the need to fill the gap between the broad direction for transport outlined in the 2002 Strategy and the actions of individual transport agencies. This update of the Strategy responds to those calls. It sets out the government’s vision for the transport system to 2040, and the strategic approach that will be taken to achieve this vision. In doing so, it replaces the 2002 Strategy.

The 2002 Strategy covered the period until 2010. This update takes a longer view and sets the direction for transport to 2040. This reflects the fact that many transport investments have long-term implications and that achieving change will take time.
The Strategy covers all aspects of the transport sector – moving people and freight by air, sea and land. As well as setting out the government’s intentions for transport, it provides a framework for the activities of transport Crown entities and guidance for local authorities. It also sets the context for the development of Government Policy Statements on Land Transport Funding (GPS), which will establish the government’s funding policy and priorities for land transport on a three-yearly cycle. In addition, the Strategy provides a long-term plan which will help the private sector to make investment decisions with greater confidence. 

Government Policy Statement on Land Transport Funding

The Government Policy Statement (GPS) will ensure that funding and planning for land transport contribute to the objectives set out in this Strategy. The GPS will be issued on a three-yearly basis. It will set short-term targets directly related to the relevant long-term targets set out in this Strategy. The GPS will establish the funding ranges by activity class, or investment category, for the first six years and forecast funding ranges for the following four years.

The GPS will have an impact on the funding regional and local councils are likely to receive from the National Land Transport Fund. In doing so, it will directly influence the transport programmes prepared by local authorities and provide the basis for the New Zealand Transport Agency’s funding decisions.

1.2 How this Strategy was developed

Transport is important for many areas of government policy and this document has been influenced by a number of existing government strategies⁷. In addition, there has been an extensive process of stakeholder engagement. This process included the release of the discussion paper Sustainable Transport in December 2007, which set out a number of draft targets. It was used to engage stakeholders in discussions on the issues facing the transport sector, the targets and the best ways these might be delivered. In total, 172 submissions were received in response to the discussion paper, reflecting a high degree of interest in the future of transport in New Zealand. A number of stakeholder engagement meetings and events were also held including two major multi-agency workshops, discussions with most Regional Land Transport Committees and bilateral discussions with a range of agencies.

In developing this Strategy, stakeholder engagement has been complemented by monitoring of transport trends, transport modelling and other research from within New Zealand and overseas.

1.3 Strategic framework – vision and objectives

The strategic framework set out in this document includes the vision and objectives for transport; specific targets that will allow measurement of progress in delivering the Strategy; the key challenges that put the achievement of the vision and targets at risk; the actions that are required to move forward; and the monitoring and review proposals. These are represented as follows:

1.3.1 VISION

The government’s vision for transport in 2040 is that:
‘People and freight in New Zealand have access to an affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable transport system.’

This vision is based on the following principles:

Affordable – the transport system needs to be affordable for individuals, households, businesses, regions, local government and central government. A key component of affordability is the need for all investments in transport to be cost-effective and represent value for money.

Integrated – the transport system needs integration between different forms of transport, so that travel from one end of a journey to the other is straightforward and seamless. Transport and land-use planning must also be integrated so that demand for travel is managed and public investment is used efficiently.

Safe – the transport system needs to be based on design, operating and maintenance standards that protect people and property.

Responsive – the transport system needs to be responsive to users by recognising that people wish to travel and move freight at different times and by different modes. It must also be prepared for, and able to recover well from, unforeseen events (such as floods and earthquakes).

Sustainable – the transport system needs to contribute to achieving New Zealand’s economic, social, environmental and cultural goals for the benefit of current and future generations.

Further details on the principles for transport to 2040 are provided in Appendix A.

1.3.2  OBJECTIVES

This Strategy retains the five transport objectives from the 2002 Strategy. These are: 

• ensuring environmental sustainability
• assisting economic development
• assisting safety and personal security
• improving access and mobility
• protecting and promoting public health.

These objectives have equal importance and it is expected that progress will be made on all of them over time. However, the need for transport to be more responsive to issues, such as climate change, means there will be a focus on achieving better environmental outcomes in the short to medium term. Government transport agencies that develop land transport programmes are legally required to consider the impact of their activities on the objectives. More widely, it is expected that central and local government decision-making on the development of the transport system will, collectively, contribute to all of the objectives.

A number of the transport sector outcomes are set out in Appendix B. These provide a more detailed description of what the government wishes to achieve in relation to each objective. The transport sector outcomes have a particular role in defining and measuring the work of transport Crown entities

1.4 Targets

The transport targets are set out below under the five transport objectives⁸:

This table sets out the government's 15 targets for transport established by this Strategy

ENSURING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Halve per capita greenhouse gas emissions from domestic transport by 20409
Increase coastal shipping’s share of inter-regional freight to 30 percent of tonne-kilometres by 2040
Increase rail’s share of freight to 25 percent of tonne-kilometres by 2040
Become one of the first countries in the world to widely use electric vehicles
Reduce the kilometres travelled by single occupancy vehicles, in major urban areas on weekdays, by ten percent per capita by 2015 compared to 2007
Reduce the rated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per kilometre of combined average new and used vehicles entering the light vehicle fleet to 170 grams CO2 per kilometre by 2015, with a corresponding reduction in average fuel used per kilometre.
Increase the area of Crown transport land covered with indigenous vegetation.
ASSISTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
For identified critical routes: improve reliability of journey times reduce average journey times.
ASSISTING SAFETY AND PERSONAL SECURITY
Reduce road deaths to no more than 200 per annum by 2040.
Reduce serious injuries on roads to no more than 1,500 per annum by 2040.
IMPROVING ACCESS AND MOBILITY
Increase use of public transport to seven percent of all trips by 2040?(ie from 111 million boardings in 2006/7 to more than 525 million boardings in 2040).
PROTECTING AND PROMOTING PUBLIC HEALTH
Increase walking, cycling and other active modes to 30 percent of total trips in urban areas by 2040.
Reduce the number of people exposed to health-endangering noise levels from transport.
Reduce the number of people exposed to health-endangering concentrations of air pollution in locations where the impact of transport emissions is significant.

These targets have been selected to cover all transport objectives and, where possible, to provide practical mechanisms to measure progress with delivering the vision. They draw on research, monitoring, modelling, and the views of stakeholders. The specific rationale for choosing each target is provided in Appendix C.

As set out in section 6.2 the target framework will require development and refinement to provide a comprehensive tool for measuring and managing progress. This will be undertaken, in collaboration with stakeholders, for the next update of the Strategy in 2010.

1.5 Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi is a founding document of New Zealand. The government is committed to upholding the principles of the Treaty. Central to these principles is that Maori have a special relationship with their ancestral lands, water, sites, wahi tapu and other taonga. Transport planning and decision-making needs to take account of that relationship, as well as the more general needs of Maori communities. Therefore the government is committed to ensuring that Maori are involved in making decisions about transport that affect their cultural, economic, environmental and social well-being.

The Land Transport Management Act 2003 provides specific opportunities for Maori to participate in decision-making processes about land transport and for approved organisations¹⁰ to foster the development of Maori capacity to contribute to these processes.

1.6 Partnership, delivery, funding and regional targets

While the vision describes the desired future transport system for New Zealand, that system can only be achieved through the combined efforts of all transport stakeholders. Transport provision in New Zealand is a partnership, and central and local government, private businesses, non-government organisations and individuals all have a role to play in moving towards a sustainable transport system in the future.

Central government is responsible for setting the strategic policy and regulatory framework for transport in New Zealand. It also provides a proportion of the funding for investment in transport infrastructure and services which comes from both general taxation and charges for road use. The New Zealand Transport Agency manages the State highway network and ONTRACK manages rail infrastructure. Other transport Crown entities and the police service also play a critical role in enforcement and inspection activities in the air, maritime, rail and road sectors.

Local government leads in planning and providing local transport. Territorial authorities (TAs) own and manage local roads, and have financial interests in some ports and airports. Regional councils commission public transport services and have a major role working with TAs and Regional Transport Committees in developing Regional Land Transport Strategies and Regional Land Transport Programmes. Special arrangements apply in Auckland, with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) having a particular role in transport planning and funding. Most local transport provision attracts financial support from central government via the National Land Transport Programme. As set out in section 1.1 above, in future the GPS will set funding levels.

Private sector businesses operate ports, airports, sea, road and air freight services, bus, passenger air and taxi services, and many of the support services that the transport sector needs. Some services, such as community buses, are provided by the voluntary sector.

Partnership is particularly important between central and local government. Furthermore, as stakeholders made clear in the development of this Strategy, one of the vital elements in making this partnership work relates to funding of local transport. It is important to achieve an appropriate balance between the costs that fall respectively on transport users and taxpayers on the one hand, and local ratepayers on the other. In the future, the Regional Fuel Tax¹¹ established by the Land Transport Management Amendment Act 2008 will provide a new mechanism for local government to generate revenue for local projects from transport users.

The government will carefully consider the views of local government on funding issues. It will be important to develop an appropriate balance between the national priorities and targets set in this Strategy, and those adopted by local government in Regional Land Transport Strategies and Long Term Council Community Plans. The future aim will be for the government and regions to develop regional targets that meet local aspirations, but also ensure that national targets are met when all regional contributions have been added together.

1.7 Relationship between this Strategy and other government priorities and strategies 

Through its role in facilitating the movement of people and freight, the transport system can make a broad contribution to the government’s priorities that determine New Zealand’s development as a sustainable nation (ie economic transformation, families - young and old, and national identity). In particular, it will contribute to the following government strategies.

THE NEW ZEALAND ENERGY STRATEGY AND THE NEW ZEALAND ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION STRATEGY
The government released the New Zealand Energy Strategy (NZES) and the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (NZEECS) in October 2007. The NZES sets the strategic direction for the energy sector to contribute to New Zealand’s future prosperity and sustainability. It specifically responds to the challenges of providing enough energy to meet the needs of a growing economy, maintaining security of supply and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (from electricity produced by burning fossil fuels). The NZEECS is the government’s action plan to maximise energy efficiency and renewable energy. It includes a number of transport actions, some of which have been incorporated into this Strategy.

In the NZES, the government has made a decision (in principle) to halve per capita greenhouse gas emissions from domestic transport by 2040. It sets out five action areas for transport, in addition to emissions trading, that will do so. These are:

• managing demand for travel
• shifting to more efficient and/or lower impact means of transport
• improving the fuel efficiency of the vehicle fleet
• developing and adopting future fuels
• ensuring the security of short-term oil supplies and a diverse supply of transport fuels

This transport Strategy builds on the work already undertaken in the transport related components of the NZES and NZEECS

The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for greenhouse gas emissions is also part of the government’s response to climate change. In the transport sector, the ETS will cover liquid fossil fuels used in New Zealand including petrol, diesel, aviation gasoline, jet kerosene, light fuel oil and heavy fuel oil¹².

The ETS, when introduced, will apply as far up the supply chain as possible (eg refined oil products, as they leave the refinery or are imported). It is expected that the cost of emission units¹³ will be passed on to consumers.

The objective of the ETS in New Zealand is to support and encourage global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by: 

• reducing New Zealand’s net emissions below business-as-usual levels 
• complying with international obligations (including those in the Kyoto Protocol) while maintaining economic flexibility, equity and environmental integrity at least cost in the long term

OTHER STRATEGIES

Other national and local government strategies that impact on, or are affected by, transport policy include: 

• the New Zealand Disability Strategy 
• the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 
• the New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy
• the New Zealand Housing Strategy
• the New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy
• the New Zealand Health Strategy
• the Digital Strategy 
• the New Zealand Urban Design Protocol
• the New Zealand Waste Strategy
• the Biosecurity Strategy for New Zealand

Regional Growth Strategies, Regional Land Transport Strategies, Long Term Council Community Plans, and other strategies and programmes developed by local government.

Footnotes:

7. Section 1.7 provides a list of the relevant strategies
8. Although targets have been grouped under specific objectives, many targets contribute to a number of objectives
9. Relative to 2007 per capita emissions
10. Organisations that are eligible to receive funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency for land transport activities. Defined in the Land Transport Management Act 2003 as including regional councils, territorial authorities or a public organisation approved by the Governor-General by order in council
11. Regional fuel tax is a tool available to regions for high priority projects that would not otherwise get national funding within a timeframe desired by the region. The tax is a supplement to normal fuel excise duty
12. For more information please go to www.climatechange.govt.nz
13. Also known as carbon credits  

 

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