by Transporttalk July 9, 2025
The Government has scrapped a major national freight study that industry leaders say is vital for informed decision-making on New Zealand’s transport network.
The Ministry of Transport has confirmed it will not proceed with a new National Freight Demand Study, despite already spending $164,000 on external advice relating to the project.
The decision has been criticised by national freight body Transporting New Zealand, which warns that cancelling the study will leave policymakers in the dark on critical infrastructure decisions involving road, rail, and coastal shipping.
Previous versions of the study offered comprehensive insights into national freight movement by mode, regional origin and destination patterns, commodities transported, and future freight forecasts. The most recent data from 2017/2018 showed road freight accounted for 92.8% of total freight by tonnage, followed by rail at 5.6% and coastal shipping at 1.6%.
Transporting New Zealand chief executive Dom Kalasih says the cancellation comes at a time when the freight sector is under intense pressure.
“At a time when we’re seeing reduced freight capacity across the Cook Strait, serious international trade uncertainty, falling rail volumes, and huge pressure on the National Land Transport Fund, we need to be making well-evidenced investment decisions,” Kalasih says.
“The Government is not going to meet its goal of doubling the value of exports in 10 years if they don’t have a productive multi-modal supply chain to move freight across the country.
“With increasing pressure on the National Land Transport Fund, the Government needs to be targeting transport investment to where it will be most effective.”
While acknowledging cost pressures within the Ministry, Kalasih warns that abandoning the data could result in more expensive mistakes down the line.
“Transporting New Zealand has consistently emphasised the importance of good quality freight data when we meet with the Ministry of Transport. We highlighted the importance of an updated National Freight Demand Study in particular.
“We’ve raised our concerns directly with the Ministry, and hope that the decision will be urgently reconsidered.”
The Ministry has yet to issue a public statement outlining why the study was cancelled. TransportTalk has approached the Transport Minister for comment.