OPRA Consulting Group was commissioned by Land Transport NZ to undertake an independent, objective review of stakeholder opinion in relation to the funding aspects of the business. In particular, our objective was to gather feedback on Land Transport NZ's activities over the past year, with particular emphasis on the organisation's areas of strength and potential areas for development with regards to:

Fostering Relationships
Policy Development
Communication
Enhancing Sector Performance
The National Land Transport Programme (NLTP)
Specific Initiatives
Performance Monitoring
Overall Performance and Satisfaction

A total of 155 completed surveys were received from a pool of 404 stakeholders who were invited to participate in the stakeholder survey. Of this group, 30 out of a possible 40 stakeholders agreed to take part in a telephone interview which represents 75%. All remaining stakeholders were sent an electronic survey, from which 125 surveys were completed and returned, representing 34%. The overall total for survey completion was 38% for 2005/06 compared to 45% for the 2004/05 year.

While we recognise that a higher response rate would have been desirable, responding was of a sufficient volume to conduct a comprehensive range of qualitative and quantitative analysis.

The content of Land Transport NZ's stakeholder survey has remained largely unchanged for the last two years. Therefore, where appropriate, we have drawn comparisons with last year's survey to more accurately gauge the extent, and direction of any shifts in performance, as well as identify any outstanding performance gaps.

Reporting on individual results

To assist Land Transport NZ deal directly with any specific issues raised by stakeholders, respondents were asked if they consented to their individual results being shared with the organisation. A total of 73% of respondents (from the interview and electronic survey) gave their consent.

3.0 Executive summary

A survey of Land Transport NZ stakeholders was carried out between 29th of May and 19th of June 2006 in relation to the funding aspects of the business. This survey is carried out each year to gather feedback on the performance of the organisation from the perspective of its stakeholders and partners - the local government, central government, and industry groups that Land Transport NZ interacts with regularly.

Feedback from stakeholders confirms that Land Transport NZ is sustained by a number of strengths. These qualities represent the elements of business functioning that the organisation must preserve in terms of going forward. Quantitative feedback confirms that stakeholders appreciate:

Land Transport NZ's contribution to committees and technical groups
The level of service received from regional offices
The guidelines provided by Land Transport NZ in relation to safety management systems
The support received from Land Transport NZ staff in setting up safety management systems
The overall quality of assistance and advice Land Transport NZ has given the organisation

Qualitative comments also confirm that stakeholders appreciate:

The occasional high level contact from National Office
The robust audit process and constructive approach in which this is carried out
The pragmatic approach with which Land Transport NZ staff engage with stakeholders
The effort Land Transport NZ makes in presenting relatively ‘dry' training material in a stimulating, engaging fashion
Strong relationships at a regional level

This survey also gave respondents the opportunity to comment on how Land Transport NZ could enhance its performance. A number of themes emerged from quantitative responding that shows stakeholders are:

Looking for 2006/2007 land transport guidelines to be more helpful in directing stakeholder activity
Not entirely satisfied with the cost and effort required to comply with Land Transport NZ's information requests
Do not think Land Transport NZ's policies and rules are easy to understand or implement
Do not think that the six-stage allocation process for the approval of the NLTP is as clear as it could be

Qualitative comment suggests that there is still scope to:

Increase the profile of, and responsiveness to, wider transport issues (i.e. fuel efficiency options, trends in sea, and air transport, and non-safety issues)
Continually work towards streamlining the funding process, the criteria for funding that is used, and continually work to mitigate any misunderstanding around funding allocation
Ensure the inclusion of specialist, and smaller stakeholder groups in the consultation process, and to continually strive towards open, two-way, collaborative discussion
Align research with strategic and industry drivers
Make the Land Transport NZ chain-of-command clear and explicit to stakeholders
Raise the profile of research papers, and industry-relevant publications
Minimise any blocks in communication between regional and National Office

Overall stakeholder satisfaction

Overall satisfaction with doing business with Land Transport NZ over the last three years has maintained at a steady level between 77% (for 2005/06) and 79% (for 2003/04). These results are particularly encouraging given that a number of stakeholders still perceive the organisation to be in a settling down phase.

Fostering relationships and NLTP are key to lifting stakeholder satisfaction

Results from the 2005/06 survey show that stakeholders' opinion of the NLTP and the strength of their relationship with Land Transport NZ most strongly guided their overall ratings of organisational performance. So strong was this connection that we can confidently conclude that resolution of any issues held by stakeholders in these two areas alone would have the most significant impact on their level of satisfaction.

In the remainder of this document, we discuss the specific feedback from Land Transport NZ stakeholders more fully and where possible, have identified ownership of the different viewpoints by group.

4.0 Methodology

Stakeholder sampling

Stakeholder Group	Approached for 2005/06 survey	Telephone Interview (actual)	Electronic Survey (actual)
Road Controlling Authority Staff (including Roading, Operations, Asset, Engineering, Traffic and Infrastructure Mgrs)	112	7	45
Road Controlling Authority Mayors, CEOs and Chairpersons	138	9	22
Regional Council Staff (including GMs, Transport, Policy, Planning, Energy and Operations Mgrs)	28	5	11
Regional Council CEOs and Chairpersons	21	4	7
Transit Staff (National Office and Regional Office)	20	3	6
Government agencies (including NZ Police, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Treasury)	27	0	8
Contractors and Consultants (including OPUS International, Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd, NZ Contractors Federation, Fulton Hogan Ltd, Association of Consulting Engineers)	28	0	14
Road User Groups (including Bus and Coach Association, Road Transport Forum, Stagecoach New Zealand, Taxi Federation and the Automobile Association)	22	0	7
Others (Auckland Regional Transport Authority)	8	2	5
TOTAL	404	30	125

5.0 Quantitative sample

A summary of respondent demographics reveals the following broad characteristics:

Regional/national demographics

31% from the central region
20% from the midlands
17.5% of respondents were from the northern region
17.5% from the southern region, and
11% of respondents had a national focus
3% unspecified

Group

57% of respondents were Road Controlling Authorities
19% were Contractors/Consultants/Government or Other
18% were from Regional Councils
6% were from Transit NZ

Tenure

35% of respondents had been in the land transport industry for 20+ years
14% for 16-20 years
14% for 11-15 years
16% for 6-10 years
14% for 1-5 years, and
3% respondents had been in the industry for less than 1 year
4% unspecified

6.0 Overall ratings for 05/06

Figure 1 presents the overall performance ratings by stakeholders for each survey category under review from 2003 to 2006. Collectively, these ratings suggest that stakeholders are positive about Land Transport NZ's performance across each major area of business activity. In particular, we can infer from specific item ratings from the 2005/06 year that Land Transport NZ has:

Fostered strong stakeholder relationships at both a regional, and National Office level
Provides publications that are respected by the land transport industry
Provided helpful consultation in the development of stakeholder's Land Transport Programme
Is recognised for demonstrating a higher than average level of performance in the land transport sector

Please note, that in order to clearly profile any differences in performance ratings, the rating scale to the right runs from ‘3' to ‘4', since this is the band inside what all ratings across the last three years fall. In 2003/04 and 2004/05 we did not include any ‘performance monitoring' items. Instead, we did include a narrow selection of audit items. No comparison between these diverse sets of items is recommended.

Figure 1: Average performance ratings for 2003 to 2006, with the overall mean for all 2005/06 ratings

7.0 Highest rated items for 2005/06

This graph shows the highest rated items by stakeholders collectively for the 2005/06 year.

Item ratings show that the top 10 strengths identified by stakeholders revolve around:

Enhancing sector performance

Land Transport NZ's research programme adds value to the land transport industry:
The usefulness of training to our organisational needs:
The quality of assistance and advice Land Transport NZ has given my organisation:

Fostering relations

I would rate the skill and capability level of Land Transport NZ staff as being…
The level of service I receive from my local Land Transport NZ regional office is….
Land Transport NZ's contribution to committees and technical groups is valued:

Communication

I would rate Land Transport NZ publications as being:

Performance monitoring

I would rate the way Land Transport NZ undertakes its auditing activities as…

Specific initiatives

The support received from Land Transport NZ staff in setting up our safety management system:
The guidelines provided by Land Transport NZ in relation to safety management systems:

Figure 2: Highest rated items for 2005/06

8.0 Lowest rated items for 2005/06

This graph shows the lowest rated items by stakeholders collectively for the 2005/06 year.

Item ratings show that the areas most in need of attention as identified by stakeholders include:

Enhancing sector performance

Land Transport NZ facilitates collaboration between stakeholders in the land transport industry:
Land Transport NZ has assisted my organisation to improve its network management:

Fostering relations

Satisfaction with the cost and effort required to comply with Land Transport NZ's information requests:

Policy development

Land Transport NZ's policies and rules are easy to understand and implement:
The effectiveness of Land Transport NZ's policy/rules development process:

Specific initiatives

In terms of helpfulness, I would rate Land Transport NZ's Guidelines for 2006/2007 land transport as being….
The six-stage allocation process Land Transport NZ has adopted for the approval of the NLTP is clear and understandable:
Land Transport NZ has helped prepare my organisation for the commencement of the new funding arrangements for the total mobility scheme:

The National Land Transport Programme

The usefulness of Land Transport NZ's feedback on NLTP decisions:
The way in which Land Transport NZ processes and administers funding applications:

Figure 3: Lowest rated items for 2005/06

Page created: 22 November 2006