When Warwick Wilshier opened a letter bearing the governor-general’s crest, he had a feeling he knew what was inside.

“I saw the letter and thought, ‘I know what this is’,” he recalled.

A few weeks later that suspicion was confirmed, with the Whakatāne transport operator being named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to the road transport industry.

The honour was still a surprise to the 65-year-old, who has spent his entire working life in forestry and logging.

“It’s a pleasant surprise,” Wilshier said. “I’m really proud, and it is a real honour. This is just exceptional. It’s pretty humbling, to be honest. I didn’t think I made that much of a difference.”

Wilshier’s journey began when he left school and joined the New Zealand Forest Service, before buying his first log truck at the age of 21.

“Much to my father’s dismay,” he laughed.

That single truck grew into Williams and Wilshier Transport, one of New Zealand’s largest log transport fleets. For more than 30 years the company has operated throughout the Eastern Bay, employing local people and helping many drivers establish their own businesses.

“They’re my best friends. I’m really proud of them all,” he said.

“We set a lot of them up in their own businesses, so they owned their own trucks and worked under our company. It was really successful.”

While the business grew, Wilshier also became one of the driving forces behind a transformation in log transport safety nationwide.

In the mid-1990s, log trucks had a poor safety record, and the industry faced growing pressure to improve. Wilshier joined a group of transport operators, forestry companies and government agencies that came together to tackle the issue.

The result was the New Zealand Log Transport Safety Council, which Wilshier chaired for more than 25 years.

“We formed this thing called the Log Transport Safety Council, and it’s been one of the most successful industry organisations ever in New Zealand in terms of what we’ve achieved,” he said.

The group championed a “Longer, Lower and Safer” approach, redesigning log trucks and improving driver training and education.

“Over the period of 10 years, we went from the worst-performing part of the transport industry to the best.”

By 2025, log truck rollover rates had fallen dramatically.

Despite the individual recognition, Wilshier is quick to credit others.

“It was a team effort and something that we can all take a little bit of pride in,” he said.

“It’s not about me, it’s about we.”

He believes the honour recognises the efforts of hundreds of people who helped make the industry safer.

“That’s the thing that I’m most proud of, making it safer. Today, this is an acknowledgement of what we’ve achieved.”

The award is also special for family reasons. Wilshier’s uncle previously received a similar honour for community service.

“I’m going to join my uncle now,” he said. “I’m really stoked about that, too.”

For now, celebrations will be simple.

“I’m looking forward to sharing it with my wife and children,” he said.

After more than four decades in the industry, Wilshier says his greatest satisfaction comes from seeing others succeed.

“I get most of my pleasure out of seeing people around me do really well. I’ve had my acknowledgements and done all that, but I feel like I’ve given a lot to a lot of people, which is the fun part.”