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Nothing moving here … truckies’ blockades in Auckland and WellingtonA planned protest down Auckland’s Queen Street doesn’t normally affect me, living out in the ‘burbs. But I had to make the trip over to our North Shore office early on the morning of the truckie’s blockade of our major centres, and faced with gridlock on the Southern Motorway, I made the rational decision to use public transport instead. Talk about a multi-modal journey! I drove to the local train station, caught the commuter train into Britomart, then the ferry across to Devonport, and it would have been a bus trip up to Takapuna, but my boss took pity on me and picked me up at the ferry terminal. Total time by public transport? One hour forty minutes. No wonder Auckland commuters are loath to leave their cars. Whilst waiting for the ferry, I wandered up Queen Street to see what all the fuss was about. The fun began past Shortland Street, where the road was utterly log-jammed with trucks. All you could hear was klaxon horns and people cheering, and it was obvious that somebody had spent a lot of time carefully planning this protest. Trucks idled through intersections, one truck per change of traffic lights. The only thing moving were the pedestrians and the courier guys on bikes.
In terms of effectiveness as a protest against road user charges, it certainly captured the hearts and minds of the public. Other than those hapless commuters caught up in the traffic jam behind the rolling blockade on the Southern Motorway, there was almost universal support for the truckies. Most people stayed at home and enjoyed the spectacle via online news broadcasts.
We welcome Alan Reid to the FTD team in this edition. He’s pleased to be working with FTD. “It’s regarded by many as ‘the bible’ in the industry, and it’s great to be representing such a highly regarded magazine. I am here to help our FTD clients achieve the best results possible, and I look forward to providing a first-rate service which will be straightforward, effective and profitable.”
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The truckies had come from miles around – I spotted one all the way from Kaitaia. “What are you carrying?” I shouted up to the driver. “Nothing today,” he laughed.
Alan will be managing sales for FTD and also bookings for MHL. “Having been in the advertising industry for many years, I am aware of the importance of ‘cost-effective advertising’ ‑ making those hard-to-find dollars work for the client,” Alan says. “It’s a case of the right time, the right place and the right target group.” 
Until next time …
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