The results of Transporting New Zealand’s annual member survey are in, giving the organisation a valuable snapshot of its members’ priorities, what is working well, and how it can improve.
“We know that the traditional membership association model is changing; both in New Zealand and around the world. That is why the Transporting New Zealand board is wanting to change the structure which will better prepare the health and ongoing survival of the organisation for years to come. It’s why we are focusing more on selling our products and services to a broader audience. We won’t lose sight of our core mission, which is to support the interests of the entire road transport industry,” says Nick Leggett, chief executive of Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand.
He says that as a membership association, Transporting New Zealand is always looking to improve its performance and services for its 1200 member companies.
All sectors, provinces, and fleet sizes were well represented in the nearly 200 survey responses.
Effective industry advocacy at a national and local level were the top two priorities for survey respondents. A total of 72% of respondents thought it was “extremely important” that Transporting New Zealand influence industry’s relation to government on a national level. Advocacy at a local level came in a close second. This is consistent with previous years’ results.
In terms of performance, 58% thought Transporting New Zealand’s performance in national advocacy was excellent or very good, 25% gave an OK rating, and 16% thought it was performing poorly. Results for local advocacy were similar but slightly less positive. “Improving our perceived performance in these priority areas will be a focus in 2023, particularly as we approach the election.”
A majority of respondents also thought it was extremely important for Transporting New Zealand to be encouraging more people to enter a career in road transport (55%), and showcasing the importance of road transport to the public (54%). A majority of respondents were positive or very positive about its performance in showcasing the industry, but were more “likely to give us a mixed review on promoting road transport as a career”.
“Road to success includes the industry’s tertiary qualifications pathway with two programmes: a truck driving traineeship that progresses drivers from Class 2 to Class 5, and the Boost programme that upskills Class 4 and Class 5 drivers via NZQA-approved qualifications. We asked survey participants how we could encourage their company to participate.”
Respondents wanted more information about the scheme, and for the organisation to promote it better through existing channels.
“Many people also said their company had their own traineeship – this presents us with a good opportunity to build the Road to success micro-credentials into these existing schemes. Cost and limited training capacity was also a challenge for many operators. Transporting New Zealand is working with MBIE to help cover these costs, and open up the migrant driver pipeline.
“Our member survey is just one of the ways we engage with our members. Transporting New Zealand’s sector groups and regional executives provide us with valuable input, our team of advisors are regularly out in the field, and our membership and communications staff are always engaged with our member companies.”