Some key milestones in the development of New Zealand’s government transport sector.
| Date | Milestones |
|---|---|
| 1922 | The Main Highways Act established the Main Highways Board, with the repair and maintenance of roads funded by government subsidy. |
| 1925 | The Main Highway’s Board reports that New Zealand has: 56,680 miles – (90,688 kilometres) of road or tracks, 23,047 miles (36,875 kilometres) of which are formed to the width of a ‘dray’ (a horse-drawn cart of about 2 metres width). |
| 1929 | The New Zealand Transport Department was established on 12 February. |
| 1954 | The National Roads Board is established under the National Roads Act 1953. |
| 1968 | The Ministry of Transport is formed, amalgamating Land, Marine and Civil Aviation as well as Crash Fire and Meteorology. |
| 1989 | Transit New Zealand is formed as a Crown entity to manage the state highway network and the Land Transport Fund. |
| 1993 | Land Transport Safety Authority is established to promote safety in land transport. |
| 1997 | Transfund becomes a new organisation by splitting away from Transit New Zealand to manage National Roads Fund. |
| 2004 | Land Transport New Zealand is created under the Land Transport Amendment Act 2004, merging the functions of the Land Transport Safety Authority and Transfund New Zealand. |
| 2008 | The NZ Transport Agency is established, merging Land Transport New Zealand and Transit New Zealand. |
