OPPORTUNITY IN OUR DIFFICULTIES
The transition to a low carbon economy will be one of the biggest transformations ever and it will occur over a compressed time. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change and we will need to adapt to changing weather patterns. Carbon budgets are going to become at least as important as fiscal budgets as global carbon pricing ramps up.
New Zealand remains one of the best positioned economies to adapt to change but more work is needed to help businesses prepare. My advice to road transport operators is five simple points: 1. Understand your business – stop looking at other people and look at yourself. What are the influences on your business and what can you do about those?
2. Understand your staff – especially drivers, who are an aging workforce. What are their plans? Who is at risk of resigning or retiring and how will you replace them?
3. Understand your customers – especially in a time of economic uncertainty. For example, in this time of decarbonisation will your customers ask or require you to go electric?
4. Don’t cross-subsidise – make sure each part of your business is profitable. If you’re robbing Peter to pay Paul, you’re in big trouble if you lose Peter. Also, don’t have all your eggs in one basket.
5. Don’t worry about what you can’t influence – the chain of influence has links to the left and right. Too often people worry about links that are far away. Just influence what you can. In summary, while there are real challenges, there are also opportunities and one of the biggest advantages we have is our ability to access the policy makers, who do respond to constructive engagement. We don't always get everything we ask for but every week we get better at asking.
The best thing NRC members can do is to engage. Do not sit on a concern. If you see an issue, tell one of the Commercial Transport Specialist team so it can be fed into whatever workstream is best to address it.
The team is always available to assist anyone who chooses transport as their occupation. If you need any assistance, please call us on 0800 686 777. T&D