North Island Talent Take Home Prestigious Awards

Outstanding contributions to the road freight sector were recognised at Transporting New Zealand’s 2025 North Island Road Freight Industry Awards over the weekend in Napier.

The awards, hosted by Transporting New Zealand, celebrate individuals and organisations who drive excellence in the sector - not just on the road but also behind the scenes in workshops, boardrooms, dispatch centres, training yards and rural communities all over Aotearoa.

Greg Pert of Tranzliquid took home the Supreme Contribution to Road Freight Award, sponsored by VTNZ, which recognises a lifetime of service, sector leadership and impact.

Greg Pert has long been a respected leader in the transport sector, previously serving as Chair of the Road Transport Forum and on the board of Transporting New Zealand. Under his leadership, Tranzliquid has introduced new standards for vehicle efficiency and championed driver training and cadetship pathways.

Foodstuffs North Island won the EROAD Outstanding Contribution to Health and Safety Award for embedding safety into every aspect of its operations. Through the mandatory use of Guardian by Seeing Machines and a suite of advanced vehicle safety systems, they’ve achieved major reductions in fatigue and distraction-related incidents.

Taylah Penn of Sharp as Linehaul is this year’s North Island EROAD Young Driver - a class 5 driver and emerging leader at just 20 years old. Taylah has demonstrated technical excellence, dedication, versatility, and strong team values, making her an inspiring example of the next generation driving the industry forward.

The Women in Road Freight Transport Award went to Hayley Alexander, CEO of Alexander Group. Alexander has spent more than 20 years championing diversity, professionalism, and innovation in road transport. Hayley’s progressive vision, mentoring of young professionals, and tireless advocacy for women in transport make her an influential leader.

KAM Transport were awarded the Fruehauf Outstanding Contribution to Innovation Award for their commitment to reducing the company’s environmental impact.

Clive Taylor Haulage earned the MITO Outstanding Contribution to Training Award under the leadership of Tania and Sooty Breach. Their workplace is one where training and development are part of everyday operations. This focus on learning, pride, and retention exemplifies a business that trains to retain.

Dom Kalasih, the chief executive for Transporting New Zealand, said it was heartening to see the range of skilled nominees and winners honoured at the Awards.

"This is a challenging time for many businesses. The number and quality of nominees for these awards show how talented and resilient the freight sector is, and the amount of hard work that’s going on to raise industry standards."

About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter-regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country. Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis.

The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.

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