Mainfreight founder turns eye to social and environmental issues

Tuesday, 27 June 2017

Mainfreight​ founder and chairman Bruce Plested​ reflected on some good outcomes from last year's earthquakes but also fired out some hard hitting social messages in his annual review.

He took a swipe at politicians over the state of the country's environment, education and housing sectors, as election time nears.

The silver linings to the Kaikoura earthquakes included renewed government and business commitment to KiwiRail, he said. 

Another benefit was rejuvenation of coastal shipping between Auckland and Christchurch and ability to import directly from overseas into a Christchurch warehouse via Lyttelton Port rather than from a North Island city.

**READ MORE:

* Mainfreight record profit, staff bonus boosted by tourism despite earthquake disruption

* Coastal shipping still ahead in quake aftermath

* Mainfreight posts record annual profit of $88 million**  

The new arrangements compared with 'the madness of long distance trucking' through the central upper South Island until the Kaikoura coastal route reopened.

Plested, a member of the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame, called on politicians to take action on housing – 'a fixable social disgrace'.

'The market cannot sort out this problem.'

Speaking about education, he highlighted how only 30 per cent of children from lower decile schools attained level 3 NCEA qualifications, especially Maori and Pacific Islanders who were more displaced than ever by high rent and property prices, he said.

He exhorted businesses to play a greater part in participating and contributing to school finances for computers, sports gear, books and bus trips.

Environmental degradation required strong political will over recycling and water.

'Lack of respect for water is an indictment on governments going back decades.

'Businesses and pressure groups have been allowed to pour chemical waste, animal entrails, milk, human and animal effluent into streams, rivers and sea.

'Fresh water rights have been given for irrigation to the extent some rivers run dry most years, and now we are giving water rights to export fresh water in plastic bottles.'

Regulators had left the problem for our children and grandchildren, he said.

Plested blamed the 'wee bit more' philosophy.

'Just a few more cows per acre, just a wee bit more water for irrigation, just another water bore in case it doesn't rain, just a wee bit more sewerage mixed with a wee bit more storm water, just a few more years of raping our already depleted fish stocks.'

The problems could not be fixed by the market but were like law and order issues politicians should deal with, Plested said.

Mainfreight achieved record profits over the past year and the share price has firmed steadily from $15.77 a share a year ago to $23.20.