A Brief History
The Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand (FRONZ) is dedicated to championing the heritage rail and tramway organisations across the country and advocating on their behalf.
Founded in 1975, with an objective of getting heritage trains back on the mainline, FRONZ now serves more than 60 organisations, their volunteers and staff, who work tirelessly to keep our history alive. Across New Zealand, our members operate trams, steam trains, and run excursions on the mainline, contributing significantly to their local economies and the country’s tourism sector. Scattered amongst our member organisations are many volunteers and staff who have worked for decades in the rail industry in New Zealand or overseas.
Running trains, trams, and museums is a lot of work. FRONZ not only advocates on behalf of our members but also provides insurance for members, works with NZTA and KiwiRail, defines industry standards and training, provides technical advice, and facilitates workshops and discussions.
The issues FRONZ deals with have evolved a lot over 50 years, but the Federation remain as dedicated as ever, and excited to see what the next 50 years will bring.
