What Road Controlling Authorities Forum does

The Road Controlling Authorities Forum (RCAF) is a closed, non-political incorporated society that functions as the primary national coordination body for road controlling authorities in New Zealand. Its membership comprises road asset managers and roading professionals from every territorial local authority in New Zealand except the Chatham Islands Council, together with the Department of Conservation and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. The organization was founded in 2009, with its first forum meeting held in April 2009, and is administered from Wellington, where Waka Kotahi hosts the Executive Administrator.

RCAF's core offerings are organized around three principal product lines. RCA Forums are recurring meetings that enable members to exchange information on sector working group activities, proposed legislation, new standards and guidelines, highway and procurement strategies, and other road-related issues. Specialized Working Groups — covering Road Rail, Active Modes Infrastructure, Level Crossings, Low Volume Roads, Shared Footpaths, Stock Crossings, Stock Effluent, Stormwater, and Temporary Traffic Management — are established to resolve issues that require a coordinated sector response. A Research and Guidelines Resources function publishes guidance documents developed through the working groups (e.g., stormwater management guidelines, stock crossing guidelines, low volume road funding guidelines, herbicide resistance management, mobility scooter research). Supporting products include an Announcements System for sector updates and event notifications, and Registration Services for forums and webinars, including a distribution list subscription. A national webinar series complements in-person forums, covering topics such as The Future of Digital in Roading Networks, Temporary Traffic Management, and GPS implementation.

RCAF operates on a not-for-profit membership basis. Membership fees are not publicly disclosed, and the organization has no external investors, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. It is governed by an Executive Committee, with Steve Mutton serving as Chair since 2021. Waka Kotahi provides administrative support as both a member and operational host. RCAF maintains strategic partnerships with the NZ Utilities Advisory Group (NZUAG), the RIMS Group, the Road Efficiency Group (REG), Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), KiwiRail, Tracksafe, the Department of Conservation, IPWEA NZ, and WorkSafe New Zealand. Operations are confined to New Zealand, with no international footprint. A Special General Meeting has been scheduled for 24 March 2026 to address society re-registration and Constitution matters.

Name

Road Controlling Authorities Forum

Legal name

Road Controlling Authorities Forum (New Zealand) Incorporated

Website

https://rcaforum.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Road Controlling Authorities Forum (RCAF) is a New Zealand incorporated society serving as the national coordination body for road asset managers across all territorial local authorities, the Department of Conservation, and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

RCAF is a closed, non-political incorporated society that convenes road asset managers and roading professionals from New Zealand's territorial local authorities, the Department of Conservation, and the NZ Transport Agency. Its core offerings are periodic sector forums for information exchange on legislation, standards, procurement and road-controlling authority issues, plus specialized working groups that develop guidance documents on topics such as road-rail interfaces, level crossings, low volume roads, shared footpaths, stock crossings, stock effluent, stormwater, and temporary traffic management.

Product overview

The Road Controlling Authorities Forum (RCAF) is a closed, non-political incorporated society of road asset managers and roading professionals. Rather than a unified software product, RCAF operates as a member-based association providing a portfolio of services including RCA Forums (regular meetings for information exchange on sector working groups, legislation, standards, and road controlling authority issues), Working Groups (specialized collaborative groups addressing specific infrastructure topics such as road-rail interfaces, active modes, stormwater, and temporary traffic management), and Research and Guidelines Resources (developed guidance documents and research publications for the sector). The organization also maintains an announcements system and registration services for forum events and webinars.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RCA Forums Periodic in-person meetings where road asset managers and roading professionals from territorial local authorities, the Department of Conservation, and Waka Kotahi exchange information on working group activities, proposed legislation, new standards and guidelines, highway and procurement strategies, and other sector issues.
• Working Groups Programme A coordinated programme of specialized working groups (Road Rail, Active Modes Infrastructure, Level Crossings, Low Volume Roads, Shared Footpaths, Stock Crossings, Stock Effluent, Stormwater, and Temporary Traffic Management) that develop collaborative guidance for road controlling authorities.
• Research and Guidelines Resources Published guidance documents and research outputs developed through the society's working groups, covering topics such as stormwater management, stock crossing guidelines, low volume road funding, herbicide resistance management, and mobility scooter research, made available to the road-controlling authority sector.
• Announcements Platform A web-based channel for sharing recent announcements from RCA Forum and members, including sector updates, technical advisory notes, research reports, and event notifications.
• Event and Distribution List Registration Online registration service for RCAF forums and webinars, together with a distribution list subscription for receiving ongoing sector communications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Established working groups addressing road-rail, level crossings, low volume roads, shared footpaths, stock crossings, stock effluent, stormwater, and temporary traffic management

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NZ Utilities Advisory Group (NZUAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NZUAG Board administers the Code of Practice for Utility Operators Access to Transport Corridors. The RCA Forum participates in reviews and collaborates on standards for utility access management.
• RIMS (Road Infrastructure Management Systems) GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe RIMS Group works on Body of Knowledge projects and road infrastructure management standards. The RCA Forum collaborates on standards development and research initiatives.
• Road Efficiency Group (REG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe REG supports road efficiency through case studies and toolkit development for the One Network Road Classification system. The RCA Forum maintains a close working relationship with REG.
• Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGNZ represents territorial local authorities. The RCA Forum and LGNZ collaborate on transport policy, funding challenges, and local government issues affecting road management.
• KiwiRailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKiwiRail participates in the Road Rail Working Group to address road-rail interface issues, level crossing safety, and maintenance responsibilities between rail and road corridors.
• TracksafeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTracksafe focuses on rail safety initiatives. Representatives participate in Road Rail Working Group discussions on safety at road-rail intersections.
• Waka Kotahi NZ Transport AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaka Kotahi is a member organization and key partner in the RCA Forum. The agency provides administrative support and collaborates on research, guidelines, and national transport programmes.
• Department of ConservationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Department of Conservation manages roads in conservation areas and participates as a member of the RCA Forum to address DOC-specific road management issues.
• IPWEA NZ (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPWEA NZ is mentioned in conference collaborations and joint events. The organizations share information on asset management and infrastructure topics.
• WorkSafe New ZealandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkSafe collaborated with Waka Kotahi and industry partners to develop good practice guidelines for road and roadside worker health and safety.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Road Efficiency Group (REG): A NZTA-supported programme driving road efficiency through the One Network Road Classification. Comparable as a sector-wide initiative convening road-controlling authorities, and a direct operational partner of RCAF.
• Austroads: The association of Australian road transport and traffic agencies — directly comparable as a national coordination body for road authorities. Serves a similar role to RCAF but for Australian state/territory road agencies rather than NZ territorial authorities.
• IPWEA NZ: Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia's NZ division — the closest peer, an industry body for asset management professionals across NZ local government. Comparable function (professional society convening infrastructure practitioners) and overlapping membership base with RCAF.
• RIMS Group (Road Infrastructure Management Systems): NZ body working on Body of Knowledge projects and road infrastructure management standards — directly comparable as a working-level partner producing standards and research for the same audience as RCAF.
• Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ): National representative body for NZ territorial authorities — directly comparable in that it convenes the same member councils as RCAF, with overlapping policy interests in transport funding and local government issues.

Emerging players

• National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO): US alliance of city transportation agencies — comparable in convening sub-national road/transport authorities, though focused on urban contexts and design standards rather than NZ-style rural/territorial road asset management.
• Infrastructure New Zealand: NZ's peak infrastructure body — comparable as a sector advocacy and coordination organization but broader in scope (covering water, energy, vertical infrastructure as well as transport) and more politically active than RCAF.

Broad incumbents

• AASHTO: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials — broadly comparable as a national association of road authorities in the US, but operating at much larger scale and with a broader multi-modal mandate than RCAF.
• IPWEA Australasia: Parent organization of IPWEA NZ and broader Australasian infrastructure asset management body — comparable industry association serving public works engineering professionals with overlapping mandate to RCAF.

Regional players

• CEDR (Conference of European Directors of Roads): European forum for national road directors — directly comparable in function (coordination and knowledge exchange among road authorities) but operating regionally across Europe rather than within a single small country like RCAF.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rcaforum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Road Controlling Authorities Forum