Road’s the Mode
Jenny Haworth
Wily Publications, $49.00,
ISBN 978-1-927167-11-3

The first comprehensive history of road transport in New Zealand has just been published. Road’s the Mode starts with its beginnings around the time of the First World War and goes right through to this century.

A lot of the book focuses on the regulatory framework the industry had to deal with and, a familiar story, the continuing battles the industry’s associations have had with successive governments which have wanted to protect the rail business which they owned. Ultimately of course the industry was deregulated, starting in the 1970s with increases in the distances goods could be carried to and from a railhead.

While the development of the associations and the regulatory battle struggle with government is Road’s the Mode’s backbone, there’s also a lot about the growth of the industry itself. The hard times of the Depression in the 1930s are covered, the rationing and shortfall during the Second World War and the encouragement given to returned servicemen to enter the industry after the war. Developments since then are also well covered including the growth of larger companies from the 1970s onwards, some of which are still thriving and others which are largely forgotten. There are also interesting chapters on the home-grown technological innovations which have played a major role in creating the specialised, cost-efficient industry of today.

The people who help build the industry aren’t neglected with their stories and working conditions woven into the text and also profiles of some of the most notable pioneers and firms in separate boxes throughout the book.

Road’s the Mode is a good read and author and publisher Jenny Haworth is a professional writer who has obviously done a lot of research. There are obviously a lot more personal stories which could have been included, and more on the growth of National Road Carriers and what is now the New Zealand Trucking Association would have been interesting. However this is already a 330 page book with over 150 illustrations and the author obviously had to keep the price and size in mind.

This is an essential book for anyone interested in the growth of road transport. It not only covers the factual history of the industry’s growth but it also has the personal recollections of operators who started in the industry 50 or 60 years ago. If it had not been written now, this knowledge would have been lost forever.