Freight Advisory Council

What you need to know

Established in 2025, the Council brings together senior government officials and industry leaders to discuss strategic, cross-sectoral issues affecting the freight and supply chain system, in recognition of freight’s critical role in supporting New Zealand’s economic growth and productivity.

Its scope is multi-modal, covering freight moved by road, rail, shipping and air, and includes imports, exports and internal freight movements. The Council meets quarterly, either in person or virtually.

Read our Terms of reference

Members

The Council is convened by the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT), with the MCERT Chief Executive as Chair. Members are drawn from government agencies, peak bodies and industry associations across all freight modes to ensure broad sector representation.

The Council includes representatives from the following government agencies:

Organisation	Description
Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT)	Leads housing, transport, environment and local government policy, including transport system stewardship and freight and supply chain policy.
New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA)	Land transport regulator and manager of the state highway network.
Maritime New Zealand	Maritime regulator, covering the safety and security of coastal and international shipping serving New Zealand.
Civil Aviation Authority	Civil aviation regulator, including operators carrying air freight.
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment	Leads economic development, workforce and immigration policy, including critical supply chain resilience.

Industry members are drawn from the following peak bodies, associations and operators, representing all freight modes:

Organisation	Description
Board of Airline Representatives New Zealand (BARNZ)	Represents airlines in New Zealand, including air freight operators.
Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association (CBAFF)	Represents customs brokers and freight forwarders.
Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand	A national industry association representing road freight transport companies.
International Container Lines Committee (ICLC)	Represents international container shipping lines that service New Zealand.
KiwiRail	A state-owned enterprise responsible for maintaining the national rail network, as well as a rail freight operator, including across the Cook Strait.
National Road Carriers (NRC)	A national road transport member association, although its members also use rail and coastal shipping.
New Zealand Airports Association	Represents New Zealand airports.
New Zealand Cargo Owners Council (NZCOC)	Represents major New Zealand exporters and importers.
New Zealand Port Chief Executives Group	Represents New Zealand ports, including some inland ports.
New Zealand Shipping Federation (NZSF)	Represents the New Zealand coastal shipping sector, including private sector Cook Strait ferry operators, with some members also operating international shipping services.
New Zealand Trucking Association	A national industry association representing trucking companies.

The work to date

May 2026

Third meeting - freight priorities and roundtable with the new MCERT Chief Executive

The substantive topic for this meeting was a discussion on the freight implications of a potentially structurally higher fuel price environment and how that shaped the Council’s priorities.

The Council reaffirmed its focus on productivity, efficiency and resilience – including system coordination through MCERT, better system insight via the National Freight Demand Study, coordinated workforce initiatives, and land transport productivity reforms such as the Vehicle Dimensions and Mass (VDAM) review.

The meeting concluded with a roundtable with Jeremy Lightfoot, Chief Executive of the newly formed Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT). This gave Council members an opportunity to discuss freight priorities directly with the new Chief Executive, including MCERT’s role in improving system coordination. Members also received updates on the National Freight Demand Study and cross-modal workforce initiatives.

The substantive topic for this meeting was a discussion on the freight implications of a potentially structurally higher fuel price environment and how that shaped the Council’s priorities.

Mar 2026–May 2026

Special meetings - freight response to the Strait of Hormuz fuel disruption

The Council met frequently from March to May 2026 to share industry and government intelligence on the freight impacts of the Strait of Hormuz fuel disruption. These exchanges supported the development of timely, practical policy options and helped inform the Government’s National Fuel Response Plan 2026.

Feb 2026

Second meeting - MCERT update and Infrastructure Commission presents its 30-year plan

At its second meeting, the Council received an update on the newly announced Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT), formed through the merger of several government agencies, and its impact to the Council and freight. It also received updates on government work programmes including the Vehicle Dimensions and Mass review, MBIE’s critical supply chains work, the Climate Change Risk Assessment and the National Freight Demand Study. The meeting concluded with a presentation by the Chief Executive of the Infrastructure Commission on the freight perspectives from the National Infrastructure Plan.

Dec 2025

First meeting - Council purpose and roundtable with the Minister of Transport

The Council held its inaugural meeting to agree its purpose, receive a presentation on the government work programmes supporting freight, and take part in an industry discussion on the sector’s immediate priorities.

The meeting concluded with a roundtable with the Minister Bishop, Minister of Transport, this gave members an opportunity to discuss strategic priorities for the freight sector directly with the Minister, and to hear his intentions of the Council’s role and contribution.

Oct 2025

Driving growth: taking action for the freight sector

The Minister of Transport announced the establishment of the Freight Advisory Council as part of a package of three initiatives to support the freight sector's growth, productivity, resilience and safety, alongside an Action Plan for Freight and an updated National Freight Demand Study, both led by NZTA.

Read the Minister's press release: www.beenhive.govt.nz/release/driving-growth-taking-action-freight-sector

Related work

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