June 3 2026
We are proud to celebrate MITO Board Director, Warwick Wilshier, as he was recognised as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit during the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours for his outstanding services to the road freight industry.
Warwick has been involved in the industry for over forty years. He started as a truck operator in 1982 and later partnered with Gary Williams to establish Williams & Wilshier, one of New Zealand’s largest log truck fleets with more than 150 vehicles.
His commitment to industry leadership began in 1985 when he joined the New Zealand Road Transport Association Region 2. In 2018, he was appointed Region 2 representative on the Road Transport Forum.
In response to concerning truck rollover statistics, Warwick co-founded the New Zealand Log Transport Safety Council (LTSC) in 1996. Since then, he has been instrumental in driving improvements in safety standards across the industry. He successfully advocated for increasing log truck trailer lengths to 22 metres, enabling lower loads and significantly improving vehicle safety, while also leading the development of new vehicle designs and driver education initiatives.
After 25 years as Chair of the LTSC, Warwick leaves a legacy of safer roads, with log truck rollovers reduced from 2.4 to 0.3 per million kilometres.
Warwick continued to shape the industry through his leadership as Chair of the Road Transport Forum and I Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand from 2021 to 2024. His contributions were further recognised with his induction into the New Zealand Road Transport Hall of Fame in 2022.
In 2025, Warwick was appointed to the MITO Board and is a member of the Board’s Finance Risk and Audit Committee. He has played a key role in guiding MITO through its transition to industry ownership, providing steady leadership during this important new chapter.
MITO Board Chairperson, Sturrock Saunders, said the recognition comes as no surprise to those who have seen Warwick’s impact firsthand.
“The MITO Board is delighted by this recognition of Warwick. For decades, he has been an invaluable leader in the log transport industry. His dedication to improving safety has had a lasting impact, creating safer working conditions for drivers across the country, and helping to transform the sector into a safer, more attractive, and rewarding career pathway. All of us at MITO are incredibly proud to honour Warwick and celebrate this achievement with him.”
