Greater Wellington Regional Council 12

cash and more doing. I want only the best practice in transport management, no more disastrous fiascos.’’

Josh van Lier,

30, aquatic scientist

Green Party

‘‘I want to use the GWRC’s mandate for water, transport and the environment to take substantial action on climate change while improving delivery of their core functions and services. As an aquatic scientist and public transport user, I see the GWRC currently hindering solutions and squandering opportunities. We deserve better.

‘‘Improving the attractiveness, reliability and capability of our public and active transport network. Extending the rail network to better connect people’s homes with where they need to go (CBDs, hospitals, leisure areas and the airport), integrated payment for buses and trains, more physical shelters, reduced fair zones, support shared pathways.’’

PORIRUA-TAWA Chris Kirk-Burnnand,

70, business person, community leader (photo not supplied)

‘‘I am standing because I am frustrated with the poor decisionmaking that is often confused, not cost-effective or research-based and hurts low-income people the most.

‘‘Public transport needs to be reliable, on time, safe with systems that reduce personal vehicle use. Better provision to leave vehicles out of the city centre and provide a longterm vision that residents can plan their journeys around with confidence. This currently has not happened.’’

Vaughn Liley,

24, public servant ‘‘I’m running for council because of the declining quality of our railway stations, our poor public transport connections and frequencies, and the litter the council’s contractors leave in our reserves. I’m not prepared to idly stand by while these problems persist, escaping the attention of our councillors.

‘‘I am committed to making public transport affordable and convenient to use throughout the day and on weekends, not just for 9-to-5 commuters. Investing in frequent offpeak service, an electrified bus network, and bus priority measures are necessary to decrease our growing carbon emissions from transport.’’

Jenny Brash,

72, regional councillor ‘‘I bring knowledge and council governance experience. My priorities are listening to your concerns and taking action, protecting our environment and biodiversity, sustainable land use, resilience to climate change and natural hazards, flood protection, ensuring a safe drinking water supply, improving fresh and coastal water quality, and restoring Porirua Harbour.

‘‘I want to improve the reliability of Metlink’s buses and trains by working with NZ Transport Agency and bus companies to recruit more bus drivers through wage increases and [with] WCC on bus priority lanes, improving the maintenance of the Matangi trains, and increasing numbers of park-and-ride station car parks.’’

Barbara Donaldson,

councillor

‘‘I am standing for re-election because I am committed to working for a thriving, resilient, sustainable and connected region. I want to bring my experience, knowledge and skills to make the council more responsive to communities’ needs and to help build and protect our future at this time of change.

‘‘An affordable, accessible, safe, efficient and reliable public transport system, co-ordinated with other councils and NZ Transport Agency, with: improved capacity and infrastructure to cope with increasing patronage; integrated electronic ticketing for trains and buses; bus routes co-designed with communities; bus priority on all major routes; fully electric bus and train fleets.’’

Phillip Marshall,

regional

33, public servant (no photo supplied) Labour

‘‘I am standing to try to improve the lives of New Zealanders and their families. My aim is to bring a fresh approach to the relationship between the council and the community, ensuring that your views on issues are heard and honoured.

‘‘We deserve a high-quality public transport system. We need to fix the issues with public transport created by the incumbents. However, we should look beyond this and be ambitious. My vision is to implement a frequent, reliable mass transit system with low fares that can easily be used by all.’’

Roger Watkin,

business owner

‘‘I have had huge support to stand from communities from Tawa to Pukerua Bay. I offer successful business and governance experience and a fresh perspective. All organisations need a refresh and Greater Wellington is overdue for this. I am dedicated to representing Porirua-Tawa as a staunch advocate at Greater Wellington.

‘‘The current system is broken and needs fixing. Mistakes have been made and must be owned to restore faith in public transport. I advocate for increased usage including expanding Gold Card hours. My role is to ensure the needs of PoriruaTawa are met with clean, efficient and affordable public transport.’’

KAPITI ¯ COAST Penny Gaylor,

regional councillor ‘‘The next three years will be watershed years for local government as we take leadership in mounting environmental challenges. I’m committed to expanding the Ka¯piti Coast public transport links to Wellington and fronting climate change. Throughout my 12 years’ local government experience, I’ve demonstrated the willingness to make courageous decisions.

‘‘I’ve campaigned for years for better rail services to O¯ taki – ultimately electrification. In my first term, GWRC made financial commitment in our Long-Term Plan towards replacing the Capital Connection. I supported our business case asking Government to invest in Ka¯piti and Wairarapa trains, and increase the region’s rail capacity.’’

Neil Mackay,

director

‘‘There is clearly a mood for change at Greater Wellington. I have had significant local support to ensure Ka¯piti gets greater value from the region. I have strong governance experience in roles as chair of Electra, chief executive of Industry NZ, and have the necessary leadership skills to represent Ka¯piti.

‘‘Public transport plays a vital role in the economic and social wellbeing of the region. Ka¯piti needs electrification of the rail through to O¯ taki and retaining and upgrading of the Capital Connection. I will strongly advocate for expanding Gold Card hours. We must have affordable, sustainable and reliable public transport.’’

TE AWA KAIRANGI KI UTA/ UPPER HUTT

Mark Crofskey,

44, consultant Wellington Party

‘‘Upper Hutt has been particularly let down by the bus and wider transport scandal, as well as the abandonment of sensible and long-planned transport investments such as Melling, in favour of vanity projects, back-room deals and the sham that LGWM has become. Upper Hutt’s people, environment and business deserve better.

‘‘Abandon the outdated $2.2 billion vanity-project toy train and invest in critical infrastructure that makes our region work: our bus/train network, Melling, SH1, SH2, SH58, and PetoneGrenada link. Upper Hutt’s needs would be met and we would futureproof our transport infrastructure for a low-carbon economy.’’

Bill Hammond,

62, business owner ‘‘Every now and then we all have to stand up for what we believe in. As an Upper Hutt resident and business owner, I see problems and issues that are best tackled with a local and common-sense approach. Transport, river maintenance, pest control and water quality are my priorities.

‘‘GWRC have a major role to play in a safe and efficient public transport network. We all know the problems but to fix them let’s really listen to the drivers and passengers instead of hiring consultants with no clue of the area and services needed to adequately handle our needs.’’

Ros Connelly,

Upper Hutt City

councillor

‘‘I have been privileged to serve as your councillor on the Upper Hutt Council and have proven myself as an effective representative who asks the hard questions and advocates strongly to protect our natural resources. I believe a priority is protecting our river/ water, including taking action on water bottling.

‘‘I will work hard to provide public transport that is accessible and reliable – including sufficient parkand-ride facilities and prioritising integrated ticketing. The public transport contracting model also needs re-evaluating to stop the race to the bottom – for example, poor employment conditions that have led to driver shortages.’’