Hon Michael Wood, Minister of Transport
Dear Minister
Supply Chain Congestion Concerns
The New Zealand Council of Cargo Owners met in Wellington on 26 May.
As you will recall, the Council represents the interests of many of New Zealand’s largest exporters and importers. We last met with you on 18 February.
The mood of the meeting was rather grim with those present reflecting on the fact that the national and international supply chains have been under extreme strain for almost 18 months. The ultimate causes of this stress are largely COVID-related and international in origin but there are significant problems of New Zealand origin that need to be addressed.
Our exports and imports are continuing to flow but we are experiencing significant delays, with resultant impacts on the bottom line of our businesses, e.g. missed export opportunities, loss of contracts. Warehouses and container storage facilities are full, shipping services are irregular, and timetables are unreliable. Costs at every stage of the
