Transport Minister Chris Bishop 'exploring options' to refresh critical freight study

The Aotearoa NZ Freight and Supply Chain Strategy published by the Ministry of Transport in 2023 included a recommendation to identify and invest in freight data needs. (Image: NZME)

Oliver Lewis

Mon, 28 Jul 2025

The Government is considering reviving a critical freight study that was last updated using data from 2017 and 2018.As BusinessDesk revealed as part of its Blue Highway series on the supply chain, the Ministry of Transport chose not to renew the National Freight Demand Study (NFDS) after spending $164,000 on consultants to provide advice on a new iteration of the report.Sector figures such as National Road Carriers (NRC) chief executive Justin Tighe-Umbers were critical of the lack of data being collected to inform investment and maintenance de...

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