Mainfreight founder fires salvo
Mainfreight founder and chairman Bruce Plested reflected on some good outcomes from last year’s earthquakes but also fired out some hard-hitting social messages in his annual review.
He took a swipe at politicians over the state of the country’s environment, education and housing sectors, as election time nears.
The silver linings to the Kaikoura earthquakes included renewed government and business commitment to Kiwirail, he said.
Another benefit was the rejuvenation of coastal shipping between Auckland and Christchurch and the ability to import directly from overseas via Lyttelton rather than from a North Island city.
Plested, a member of the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame, called on politicians to take action on housing.
‘‘The market cannot sort out this problem,’’ he said, calling the state of housing a ‘‘fixable social disgrace’’.
Speaking about education, he highlighted how only 30 per cent of children from lower-decile schools attained level 3 NCEA qualifications, especially Maori and Pacific Islanders who were more displaced than ever by high rent and property prices, he said.
Plested exhorted businesses to play a greater part in participating in education and contributing to school finances for computers, sports gear, books and bus trips.
Environmental degradation required strong political will over recycling and water, and regulators had left the problem of fresh water rights for our children and grandchildren, he said.
Plested blamed the ‘‘wee bit more’’ philosophy.
‘‘Just a few more cows per acre, just a wee bit more water for irrigation, just another water bore in case it doesn’t rain, just a wee bit more sewerage mixed with a wee bit more stormwater, just a few more years of raping our already depleted fish stocks.’’
The problems could not be fixed by the market but were like law and order issues politicians should deal with, Plested said.
Mainfreight achieved record profits over the past year and the company’s share price has firmed steadily from $15.77 per share a year ago to $23.20.