The policy and politics of maritime infrastructure and logistics planning: the unintended consequences and hard lessons of transport policy in New Zealand

Abstract

As Olney was unable to attend the 2008 conference, his paper was instead presented by Doug Bailey.

This paper and its commentary is concerned with Government and, in particular, the effort to shift Government transport policy settings as they impact on New Zealand coastal shipping. In a word, the paper is concerned with influence. The author explains how the ability of Government to understand what the maritime industry involves, why it is important, how it relates to Government's wider economic and social objectives, and how the prevailing policy settings help or hinder, is often lacking and out of step with the industry's own needs. In the case of the New Zealand coastal shipping industry, the absence of competitive neutrality, limited infrastructure, a lack of modal integration, and limited policy capacity led Olney to act for the New Zealand Shipping Federation in close partnership with Senate Communication Counsel. His task in that capacity was to engage proactively with Government to bring about a re-examination of coastal maritime transport policy and to advocate for policies that would revitalise the New Zealand coastal shipping industry.

This paper is a truncated account of that process, which began in early 2006 and ended in May 2008. This paper provides an account of the issues, the eventual policy outcome, and the lessons involved.