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Coastal recognition a highlight for Rod Grout

Rod Grout – well pleased with the Sea Change funding initiative

After 12 years as president of the New Zealand Shipping Federation, Rod Grout stepped down this year, highly satisfied with the government’s decision to support coastal shipping with $36 million in funding over the next four years.

Mr Grout, the chief executive of Pacifica Shipping, says the ‘Sea Change’ funding initiative is a welcome result for coastal operators after years of struggling for political recognition and acceptance.

“When I took on the presidency, our sector had just been opened up to direct overseas competition, and the commercial impacts on domestic transport were not well understood,” he says. “By late 2000 it was clear that local shipping viability was under serious threat. The government’s Shipping Industry Review was an attempt to deal with competitive neutrality problems, but without success.”

Mr Grout says it took a further five years before the federation’s compelling report ‘Roadways to Waterways’ gained traction among transport officials and led to the ‘Sea Change’ strategy. “The way is now open for coastal shipping to move forwards and assume its logical function of carrying higher freight volumes efficiently and safely around the country,” he adds.

In the past 20 years or so, Mr Grout has contributed to numerous industry developments through a turbulent period of maritime affairs. He helped lead the New Zealand waterfront reforms of the late 1980s, and was a member of the Shipping Industry Task Force reform, as well as the Government Shipping Industry Review of 2001. Latterly he served on the Maritime Development Group and the Domestic Sea Freight Reference Group. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.