Jasmin Smith Wins Women in Road Freight Transport Award

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Supply Chain Management student, Jasmin Smith, has been awarded the Wynn Williams Women in Road Freight Transport Award at Transporting New Zealand’s 2026 Road Freight Industry Awards.

Presented at Parliament Buildings in Wellington on Friday 26 June, the award recognises a high-achieving wāhine (woman) who has made an outstanding contribution to New Zealand's road freight sector through high-performance, leadership and advocacy.

Jasmin (pictured right) works at Linfox, one of New Zealand's leading road freight and supply chain service providers. She joined the company’s logistics hub in Christchurch as a store-person in 2018, before progressing to a dispatch role and later becoming a supervisor. In 2025, Jasmin was recognised as an emerging leader within the company, and shortly after she was promoted to Transport Operations Manager - South Island.

In a recent LinkedIn post, Jasmin said she was incredibly proud to be this year’s recipient of the Wynn Williams Women in Road Freight Transport Award.

“Feeling proud, grateful, and inspired to keep pushing forward,” she said. “I’m so grateful to work at Linfox. They have backed me all the way. When it came time to speak [on stage], I was full of nerves but I made sure to acknowledge something I truly believe... that women can do it. We belong in this industry, and we’re making our mark!”

Road Freight Industry Awards judges recognised Jasmin's impressive career progression, leadership, and commitment to strengthening the road freight sector through mentoring, industry representation, promoting training opportunities, and encouraging other wāhine to pursue transport careers.

Alongside her full-time role at Linfox, Jasmin is studying a New Zealand Certificate in Supply Chain Management (Level 5) remotely through Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.

She says the team at Linfox has been very supportive of her study, recognising the value it brings to both her professional development and the business.

Toi Ohomai Academic Staff Member for Supply Chain, Matt Mindham, said Jasmin's award is truly exciting and thoroughly deserved.

"Throughout her studies, Jasmin’s consistent commitment, drive, and enthusiasm for the industry have impressed the Toi Ohomai Academic team. We couldn’t be prouder to see her celebrated nationally and at this level. What a wonderful milestone in what we’re sure will be an outstanding career,” Matt said.

The New Zealand Certificate in Supply Chain Management (Level 5) is a year-long, part-time qualification that was developed in partnership with industry. Delivered online by Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, the programme enables students from across New Zealand to gain knowledge and skills in demand planning, procurement, inventory control, and production and distribution team management.

Matt says the qualification suits people starting out, currently working in, or looking to move into operational decision-making roles within supply chain management.

“Most of our ākonga (students) continue to work while they build theoretical knowledge through study and gain an industry-recognised qualification,” he said.

The Road Freight Industry Awards were presented at a dinner event during Transporting New Zealand's 60th Annual Conference, held in Wellington from 26 – 27 June.

The conference brought together transport and road freight leaders, government representatives and economic experts to explore the future of the industry, with discussions covering emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and the evolving political and economic landscape. Speakers included Minister for Transport Hon. Chris Bishop, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere, former ANZ Chief Economist Cameron Bagrie, Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s Evelyn Truong, and Paralympic gold medallist Liam Malone.

Interested in a career in supply chain management?

The next intake for the New Zealand Certificate in Supply Chain Management (Level 5), delivered online through Toi Ohomai, starts in July 2026. Learn more here >