Transport firm to absorb extra costs of closure

When Paul Kenny opened an email from a freight company with the subject line ‘‘SH6 Blenheim to Nelson closure’’, he braced himself.

‘‘I just assumed it was another price increase,’’ the owner of the Nelson branch of Tile Direct said.

Instead, what he read ‘‘made a pretty average day quite memorable’’.

The email started as expected, explaining that the closure of State Highway 6 would increase the cost of freight to Nelson by about 6%.

‘‘The high cost of fuel, the ongoing cost pressures to all businesses, our country’s high inflation rate, the cost of living crisis – all have played a part in our evaluation,’’ it stated.

But then it took a turn. ‘‘Bascik Transport has decided to absorb the additional costs ahead of us for these [seven] weeks, and not pass these on to you the customer,’’ the email said.

‘‘We are doing this to offer our best possible support to this community, already hard hit after the weather event in August.’’

Kenny said he was so surprised that he had to read the email twice.

Over the past 24 months, increasing costs had been neverending, he said, and it had become a constant juggling act to try and get goods into the region, including paying for extra storage space as his business attempted to stockpile goods to meet demand.

To hear that at least one extra cost wasn’t going to get passed on was a bright spot in tough times, Kenny said.

‘‘For them to just absorb a little cost increase is actually quite nice.’’

Bascik was the smallest of three freight companies his business used, he said.

SH6 is scheduled to close between Rai Valley and Hira from November 1 until December 18 while Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency makes urgent repairs to damage caused during the August rain event.

Motorists are being advised to take a detour via SH63, adding about 45 minutes to the journey from Blenheim to Nelson.

Bascik Transport managing director Tony Bascik said the decision to absorb the extra costs was a ‘‘Christmas present to the people of Nelson’’, and would last as long as the road was closed – even if the opening date was delayed.

Given how many businesses and individuals were struggling, Bascik did not feel that it could pass on the extra cost, given that the road closure was out of their hands, he said.

‘‘That’s not the people of Nelson’s fault.’’

He said the company was ‘‘very sympathetic to Waka Kotahi’’, and was eager to see the highway repaired – and ideally improved – as soon as possible, so it was less prone to damage during weather events.

‘‘We’d like to see it a wee bit more bulletproof.’’