🚛 2025 North Island Road Freight Seminar & Industry Awards 🚛

7.00AM – Registrations | Trade Display (Tea & Coffee Available) 
8.15AM – Welcome & Introductions 
8.45AM – Do to Lead – Mark Law, Kahu NZ 
9.15AM – Political Landscape – Cameron Bagrie 
9.30AM – Katie Nimon, Napier MP 
9.50AM – TBC, Labour Spokesperson

10.15AM – Morning Tea sponsored by Maha 
10.45AM – Panel: Transport Resilience
12.15PM – Lunch 

1.00PM – The Future Road Freight Workforce, Billy Clemens, Transporting New Zealand – Sponsored by Teletrac Navman

1.30PM – Topical Breakout Sessions

• Beyond The Paycheck: Why People Stay – Lisa Oakley, People’s Associates
• Wellbeing In Transport: A Discussion, Facilitated by Lindsay Calvi-Freeman, Transporting New Zealand
• Are You Leveraging the Right Gear? Five Wealth Vehicles to Secure Your Financial Future – Stephan Jagers & Jay Jensen, Foxplan
• Making Sense of the Numbers – Matt Thomson, Grant Thornton

2.25PM – Sector Group Breakouts 

• Livestock & Rural 
• Logging 
• Ports & Intermodal
• Bulk & General Freight
• Roads & Vehicles 

3.05PM – Afternoon Tea sponsored by ANZCO 
3.35PM – Regulatory Updates | CVST & NZTA 
4.20PM – Economic Update, Cameron Bagrie, Bagrie Economics – Sponsored by Bridgestone
4.50PM – Closing address 

5.00PM – Trade Display 
5.25PM – Networking Drinks 
7.00PM – Industry Awards Dinner sponsored by IVCS 

Cameron Bagrie boasts a 20-year career in economics, having served as the Chief Economist at ANZ for over 11 years and holding positions at the National Bank, Treasury, Statistics New Zealand and as the current board chair of Transporting New Zealand. With more than two decades of experience analysing financial markets and government policy, he has earned a reputation for cutting through the noise and delivering sharp, practical insights into the forces shaping the economy. 

Rooted in his mainland heritage, Cameron’s approach to economics is both pragmatic and unbiased. He is not aligned to any financial organisation and has the experience and credibility to tackle rough economic issues and take a stand. His ability to communicate trends and developments in layperson’s language, gives clients the framework to think about the issues that affect them.

Katie Nimon was elected as the MP for Napier in 2023. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Communications Design (Honours) and an MBA from Massey University. 
 
Katie began her career in advertising through the Clemenger Group’s graduate programme, working with Colenso BBDO and Touchcast, where she was dubbed the “Ambassador for Hawke’s Bay.” This recognition led her back to Napier to join her family’s century-old transport business, where she rose from marketing Manager to General Manager, overseeing depots in Hastings, Napier, and Taupo. From 2021 to 2023, the served as Transport Manager at Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. 
 
Now Chair of the Education and Workforce Select Committee, and a member of the Environment Select Committee, Katie is focused on regional recovery pots-Cyclone Gabrielle and is a strong advocate for infrastructure, transport and tourism. Her extensive community involvement and commitment to infrastructure and regional development make her an insightful voice on the future of transport and logistics.  

This panel will explore how transport systems can remain reliable and responsive in the face of both short-term disruptions and long-term pressures. From road closures to flooding, business continuity to individual protection, our panellists will draw on personal and professional experience to share what it takes to build real resilience across the transport sector – and why it matters more than ever. Our panellists bring a wide variety of experience:

Andrea Waddell, NZI

Andrea Waddell works closely with transport operators to help them identify ways to reduce fleet risk. She brings over 20 years of experience in the road transport industry, having worked with Castrol and Mobil, where her focus was on preventative maintenance for vehicles and equipment. 
 
Now, as a Fleet Fit Manager at NZI, Andrea helps our customers implement tailored risk management strategies through the Fleet Fit programme. Fleet Fit is designed to proactively improve driver safety and fleet performance using tools such as GPS data analytics, fatigue detection systems, driver safety seminars, and initiatives that strengthen safety culture across transport operations. Andrea works directly with operators to understand their unique challenges and recommend practical solutions that support safer, more efficient fleets.

Matt Arthurs, Team Leader – Commercial Vehicle Safety Team | NZ Police | Road Safety Advocate 

With nearly 29 years in New Zealand Police, Matt has built a career focused on making a meaningful difference through road policing – particularly within the commercial vehicle sector, where safety and compliance have a direct impact on lives and livelihoods. 
 
Matt currently leads a passionate team, cover the lower half of the North Island, from Hicks Bay to Tūrangi and up to Mōkau. Together, they work closely with industry partners to improve safety outcomes, support regulatory compliance, and foster a culture of shared responsibility on our roads.  
 
Matt is genuinely passionate about ensuring that everyone who goes to work finishes their shift safely – whether they’re part of his team or within the wider transport industry. Based on the Kāpiti Coast, he enjoys cricket, mountain biking, walking and spending time with his wife, two kids and their Labrador. He is always keen to connect with others who are committed to safer roads and a stronger transport industry.

Matt Thomson, Grant Thornton

Matt Thomson is a trusted advisor to family-owned businesses, with a particular focus on New Zealand’s civil construction and transport sector. He takes the time to understand both the business and the people behind it, which allows him to deliver tailored advice. Matt’s support goes beyond the numbers – he provides commercially focused solutions that help business owners make informed decisions, strengthen operational resilience, and achieve strategic growth. With a pragmatic approach, deep sector knowledge, and a commitment to building strong relationships, Matt aims to deliver advice that drives long-term success.

James Drummond, Pan Pac

James Drummond is a seasoned logistics professional with over 14 years of experience in supply chain operations. Currently serving as Distribution Manager at Pan Pac, he leads the end-to-end movement of goods across New Zealand’s forestry network. Prior to Pan Pac, he spent seven years at C3, honing his expertise in freight coordination and operational strategy. Known for his logic-based problem solving and ability to build high-performing teams, James brings a calm, strategic approach to complex distribution challenges. His work reflects a deep commitment to efficiency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Darren Wu, Temporary Traffic Management Industry Steering Group

Darren is the Chair of the Temporary Traffic Management Industry Steering Group (TTM-ISG), which is purposed to support efficiency and safety outcomes in temporary traffic management, with a focus on whole-of-sector outcomes. Darren’s day job is as a Technical Director at Beca, and he has over 18 years of experience in traffic engineering and transport planning. He has worked across a spectrum of traffic disruption, operational planning, and management — including the closure of SH1 at the Newmarket Viaduct in Auckland for a weekend, where more than 200,000 vehicles per day were diverted for the viaduct replacement project.

Billy is responsible for Transporting New Zealand’s government relations and sector advocacy, with a particular focus on freight efficiency, supporting infrastructure investment, and workforce development.  Recent projects include developing a suite of proposed changes to Land Transport Rules, developing the 2025 National Road Freight Survey and Sector Workforce Reports, and ensuring Transporting New Zealand leads the road freight industry’s response to road revenue reforms.  
 
Previously a senior advisory at Police National Headquarters and solicitor in Simpson Grierson’s public law team, Billy has a broad range of experience in public and private sector advocacy.  

Are You Leveraging the Right Gear? Five Wealth Vehicles to Secure Your Financial Future – Stephan Jagers & Jay Jensen, Foxplan 

Explore how time, smart investing, and five strategic financial vehicles applied through FoxPlan’s practical planning model can help you build long-term wealth from wherever you’re starting. Whether you are a business owner or an employee. 

Beyond The Paycheck: Why People Stay – Lisa Oakley, People’s Associates 

Discover practical strategies to attract and retain talent through strong employer branding, engaging candidate experiences, and initiatives that build long-term employee commitment. Ideal for organisations navigating today’s competitive labour market. 

Driver Wellbeing: A Discussion – Facilitated by Lindsay Calvi-Freeman, Transporting New Zealand 

Wellbeing is an increasingly important topic, especially for drivers in the industry. Rather than a formal presentation, this will be an open discussion where you can share challenges, insights and practical approaches from your personal experience – to support drivers’ health, safety, and resilience. This interactive discussion will be facilitated by one of our Membership Managers at Transporting New Zealand, Lindsay Calvi-Freeman.  

Making Sense of the Numbers – Matt Thomson, Grant Thornton 

Tired of glazing over at financial reports? This breakout brings the numbers to life. Learn how to read profit & loss statements and balance sheets, uncover the real value of your business, and use practical tools like the Grant Thornton Cost Index to stay ahead of cost pressures, risk, and future planning.