Summary Annual Report 2009
About the NZTA
As a new Crown entity, we were established on 1 August 2008 from the merger of Land Transport New Zealand and Transit New Zealand. Under the Land Transport Management Act 2003, our primary function is to promote an affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable land transport system.
We are governed by a Board, with a current membership of seven, appointed by the Minister of Transport. We have a broad mandate and many functions, with new energy and new ideas to create a better land transport system for New Zealanders.
Our core functions can be summarised as:
- investing in land transport activities
- managing the state highway network
- providing access to and regulation for land transport.
Investing in land transport activities
Our investment decisions are guided by the Government policy statement on land transport funding (GPS) and informed by regional views held by our local authority partners.
We give effect to the GPS through the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), which is a three-year programme outlining investment in land transport activities. Much of the preparation work for the first NLTP, covering 2009-12, was done in the 2008/09 year, with the establishment of an investment strategy.
Being both an investor in land transport and a service provider, we make sure we scrutinise our decisions.
As an investor in land transport activities, we have three separate accountabilities:
- We provide funding and are responsible for the delivery of services (eg transport planning, maintenance of state highways).
- We provide funding and are responsible for the delivery of some activities along with other approved organisations (eg walking and cycling infrastructure).
- We provide funding and other support to the organisations receiving funding to encourage better-quality transport decision making but don’t deliver the services (eg maintenance of local roads and public transport services).
Managing the state highway network
By maintaining and operating the 10,900km of state highways around New Zealand, we enable people to get to and from work safely, quickly and efficiently, provide a convenient and robust route for freight, and connect communities.
We work closely with transport partners throughout the country in planning, operating and maintaining the state highway network, considering its impact on the environment and the immediate and long-term needs of the businesses and people who use it.
Providing access to and regulation for land transport
When providing access to and regulation for land transport, we work closely with our agents to provide transport users with various services, such as driver testing, issuing driver and transport licences, undertaking vehicle certification, registration and licensing, and collecting road user charges and other road-related revenue.
