I stand for environmental protection and enhancing our freshwater quality. Nature offers cheaper and more effective flood protection than the approach of building and maintaining expensive flood infrastructure. We can achieve this through programmes to create room for rivers, using nature to store and slow down water, reducing flood risk. Much of the Kāpiti Coast is built on historic dune wetlands and we need to work with our environment, it is cheaper and more sustainable.

 

We need a reliable and frequent rail network, it is getting close but there’s more work to do. Public transport is part of a modern community which enables people to participate in society and supports our economic activities. Reliability and frequency alongside good route design ensures we can get around our community in the face of continued growth and traffic pressure. Multi-model travel options that include bus and train options, ensure everyone can travel for work, social, health, shopping, and study. When more people use public transport we leave more space on our roads for people that need it.

 

Councils need to work with communities, focusing on relationships and engagement to ensure we build our collective vision and understanding and using local knowledge to inform our long term thinking and decision making. I have a proven track record of working with communities to get good outcomes that have wide support.