As illustrated by the 2016 Kaikōura event, earthquakes can severely disrupt freight movements. To ensure supply chain continuity, commercial operators need to swiftly adjust their transport operations across modes (e.g. from road to coastal shipping). Rapid shifts require coordination because modes operate differently and actors typically control only a part of the transport chain. Little is known about transport reconfigurations in the New Zealand context. Therefore, this study addresses the following research question: what facilitates/impedes rapid modal shifts in the aftermath of an earthquake in New Zealand? The focus is on the physical, data and business interfaces that interconnect the various transport modes and make them fit together. Qualitative data was collected through 18 interviews with 26 key informants, including policy makers, industry representatives, transport practitioners and users of freight transport. The preliminary results of a thematic analysis of the data show that multiple factors contribute to the building of transport resilience and the ability of the New Zealand transport system to deal with shocks. In particular, the following elements are among those mentioned by the interview participants in relation to the 2016 Kaikōura event:

Physical Enablers: Use of standard load units (shipping containers) Intermodal terminals (e.g. Spring Creek) Barriers: Lack of capacity (e.g. shipping containers) RO-ROs unable to berth, had the ferry terminals be taken out Data Enablers: Truck drivers reporting ground information Rapid exchange of information (e.g. transport capacity available, bookings) Barriers: Different data standards and lack of interoperable information systems Advanced technologies (e.g. tracking, analytics) not sufficiently leveraged Business Enablers: Pre-established contacts with multiple transport operators Synchronised timetables Barriers: Lack of understanding of the specific transport requirements of each mode