In New Zealand the principal authorities responsible for roading works are the Government, the National Roads Board, and municipal and county councils. In the early years of the colony's development the county authorities had to provide some form of communication between farm and market; thus the original county roads were designed primarily for moving stock on the hoof and for light vehicles. Today, however, the farmer no longer moves his stock on the road; he must therefore be able to get a normal truck to his farm so that he can deliver his stock to the freezing works at the main centres. This has brought about a change in the character of country roads, with the result that bridges have had to be strengthened or rebuilt to carry heavier loads and the roads themselves made capable of carrying heavy vehicles, even though the frequency of traffic may be quite low.