The Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
on
transport policy
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline ...
.
History
The Ministry was established in 1968 with a merger of the then Transport Department and the Civil Aviation Department. In the 1970s, the roles of the Ministry included traffic enforcement, air traffic control, weather forecasting, air accident investigation and lighthouses. Many of these functions were divested to other government organisations over the period from 1988 to 2004.
The Ministry of Transport was formerly responsible for enforcement of traffic laws before their division of traffic officers was merged into the same
organisation
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
as the police in 1992.
Government transport sector
The transport sector includes four
Crown entities
A Crown entity (from the Commonwealth term ''Crown'') is an organisation that forms part of New Zealand's state sector established under the Crown Entities Act 2004, a unique umbrella governance and accountability statute. The Crown Entities Act ...
and three
State-owned enterprises:
Crown Entities
*
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), includes the Aviation Security Service (AvSec)
*
Maritime New Zealand (MNZ)
*
New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)
*
Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC)
State-Owned Enterprises
*
Airways Corporation of New Zealand Limited (Airways New Zealand)
*
Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited (MetService)
*
New Zealand Railways Corporation (NZRC) (trading as
KiwiRail
KiwiRail Holdings Limited is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise responsible for rail operations in New Zealand, and operates inter-island ferries. Trading as KiwiRail and headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, KiwiRail is the largest rail ...
)
They are responsible for day-to-day hands-on management of daily traffic, aviation, rail and maritime activities. Their roles and the composition of their boards are defined in legislation.
The Ministry negotiates an annual performance agreement with each entity on behalf of the Minister, monitors the entities' performance against that agreement, and recommends appointments to the entities' governing bodies.
The Ministry provides policy advice to the Minister, in collaboration with the Crown entities, including the making of transport rules. As well, the Ministry negotiates on behalf of New Zealand, bilateral and multilateral air services agreements and is the licensing authority for foreign international airlines operating services to and from New Zealand.
Additional
The Ministry also:
*administers, on behalf of the Minister, the contract with the
Meteorological Service of New Zealand
Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited (MetService - Te Ratonga Tirorangi) is the national meteorological service of New Zealand. MetService was established as a state-owned enterprise in 1992. It employs about 300 staff, and its headqua ...
(Metservice) for the provision of public weather warnings and forecasts
*manages the Motor Vehicle Register (MVR) and revenue collection functions which includes the collection and refund of motor vehicle registration and licensing fees, road user charges and fuel excise duty, and the maintenance of the MVR. The New Zealand Transport Agency is contracted to provide these services under an agreement with the Secretary for Transport.
*has responsibility for the operation of the
Milford Sound/Piopiotahi Airport, and oversees the Crown's interest in joint venture airports
*administers transport legislation, rules and regulations
*represents New Zealand at international fora
*licenses all international airlines operating to and from New Zealand
The Ministry does not have a hands-on-role in daily traffic, aviation, rail or maritime matters.
Ministers of Transport
The following ministers have held the office of Minister of Transport.
;Key
See also
*
Transport in New Zealand
Transport in New Zealand, with its mountainous topography and a relatively small population mostly located near its long coastline, has always faced many challenges. Before Europeans arrived, Māori either walked or used watercraft on rivers o ...
References
Sources
*
External links
*
{{authority control
Transport
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...
Ministry of Transport
A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...
New Zealand Public Service departments