News
One of the best purchases I ever made was my e-bike three years ago. I use it nearly every day to drop off library books or cart cardboard boxes across town. It is perfect personal transport. I count on a lovely local shop called Bicycle Junction to keep it in
News
Wellington has so many good things going. Its glistening harbour, dramatic weather, and stunning people make it my favourite place. I especially adore Wellington because it offers something nowhere else in New Zealand does: the choice to get around however I want. Wellingtonians move around differently to the rest of
Trains
Aotearoa has a stunning railway history. As a country, we built an astonishing 2000km of track within a decade. Yet, mismanagement, policy, and neglect in the 20th Century drove us to cars and trucks. In this final part of my series on rail, I want to explore what is possible
Transport
When you travel across Aotearoa, have you noticed the train tracks everywhere? My hometown, Whanganui, has rail weaving through town. It even has a dedicated train bridge in Aramoho. Rail runs along the far north and the deep south. A century ago, people travelled towns and cities by train. Now
Transport
Joel MacManus, writing for the Spinoff: The theory behind Wellington’s rapid rollout is that people will adopt cycling in much higher numbers once there is a connected network of protected bike lanes that cover most daily trips. To get there as quickly as possible, Wellington City Council is taking
Transport
Ever wondered how to fix Wellington’s transport woes? Can we get the buses running on time? Can trains run more frequently? Can we stop people from sitting in traffic for so long? We can. The Regional Council has many plans underway to reduce congestion and improve how we get
Transport
I have some really fun and uplifting local stories coming. I promise. But I couldn’t let this go. Two years ago, Air New Zealand announced they were going to reduce their carbon pollution by 16.3% by 2030, using a mix of sustainable aviation fuel, efficient planes, and moonshot
Food
What does the prospect of switching to a low carbon lifestyle feel like to you? Daunting? Exciting? Vague and impossible? Low carbon choices face a serious communication problem. Fossil fuel companies have run serious misinformation campaigns to muddy what people think a low-carbon life is. Those campaigns have made actions
Government
Climate change is something everyone on the political spectrum has a reason to solve fast. Do you care about working people? Disasters hurt workers far more than rich people. Do you want to keep government debt low? Avoiding the clean up costs of unprecedented storms will save the government a
Report
I’m tired of government announcing goals for taking action on climate change rather than actually taking action on climate change. I’ve stumbled on a recent example: in 2021 the Greater Wellington Regional Council set a pretty ambitious goal. They wanted to cut the amount of carbon we create