Previous Walking Summits

The 2023 Living Streets Aotearoa Walking Summit

Ōtautahi/Christchurch was the place to be on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 July, as we explored our theme of "Walking into the Future".

Presentations and videos from the Walking Summit

Keynote address, Monday 23 July

John Minto, Community connections through walking (video, 28:51)

Individual presentations

Monday 23 July

The National Walking Plan

Alan Meharry and Nick Potter, The National Walking Plan (PDF, 2.1MB)
Alan Meharry is Principal Advisor, Urban Mobility Team, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Nick Potter is Principal Advisor, Placemaking and Urban Development Team, Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport

The Climate for Walking

Danny Eyre, Walking and a thriving, climate-resilient and low emissions Aotearoa (video, 16:09)
Danny Eyre, Principal Analyst in the Climate Change Commission’s Transport and Urban Systems team

Charlotte McKay, Local Government's role in placemaking in a changing climate (video, 9:05)
Charlotte McKay is Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor, Local Government New Zealand

Hon Dr Duncan Webb, A Government Minister and Christchurch MP perspective (video, 9:23)
Hon Dr Duncan Webb is Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Minister for State Owned Enterprises, and MP Christchurch Central since 2017

Walking and Public Transport

Holly Smith, Walking & Public Transport: The First & Final Leg (video, 13:20)
Holly Smith is a Transport Planner, Service Network Development Team, Auckland Transport

Sarah Thorne, Navigating Boundaries: Creating an Inclusive and Safe Public Transportation Network in Christchurch (video, 11:19)
Sarah Thorne is Principal Advisor Public Transport Infrastructure, Christchurch City Council

Gerry Dance and Patricia Vasconcelos, Walking and Bus Stops (PDF, 3.5MB)
Gerry Dance is Team Leader Multi-modal, Programme & Standards, Transport Services, Waka Kotahi
Patrícia Vasconcelos is Principal Multi-modal Advisor, Programme and Standards, Transport Services, Waka Kotahi

Walking to School

Duane Burtt, Young people and walking to school – lessons from Melbourne (PDF, 4.3MB) plus Victoria Walks, Change to Walking 2017-18 (video, 3:03)
Duane Burtt is Principal Policy Advisor, Victoria Walks

Ashley Beaton and George Booty, Walking School Buses in Christchurch (PDF, 2MB)
Ashley Beaton and George Booty are Community Travel Advisors, Christchurch City Council - contact SchoolTravel@ccc.govt.nz

Grace Stapleton, How Active Transport to School can be encouraged in New Subdivisions (video, 16:06)
Grace Stapleton is in the Land Development Team, Abley

 

Tuesday 24 July

City Design for the 21st Century

Cr Sara Templeton, Walking the Talk - Rebuilding a City with People at its Heart (PDF, 18.3MB)
Cr Sara Templeton holds the Climate Change Portfolio on Christchurch City Council

Nicki Williams, Walking While Female (video, 19:01)
Nicki Williams is in the Otago Population Health Department

The Walking Future for Ōtautahi Christchurch

Dr Colin Meurk ONZM, First Urban Great Walk of Aotearoa – a Model for Your City (video, 12:32)
Dr Colin Meurk developed the Christchurch360Trail, which won an LSA Golden Foot Award in 2009

Jacqui Miller and Helen Miles, Lessons from the Christchurch Walking Festival (video, 13:41)
Jacqui Miller and Helen Miles are Community Recreation Advisors, Christchurch City Council

Sarah McKay and Maria Smolar, From safer streets to healthy streets: a pilot project of the Healthy Streets framework in South Brighton (PDF, 5.6MB)
Sarah McKay is a Community Worker, "Common Ground", Sustain South Brighton
Maria Smolar is Lead System Innovator, Healthy Families

What Do Inclusive Streets Look Like?

Professor Shanthi Ameratunga, Lessons Learned from a Community-Based Participatory Research Project in Tāmaki Makaurau (video, 15:38) plus presentation (PDF, 2.2MB)
Professor Shanthi Ameratunga is in the School of Population Health, University of Auckland

Professor Simon Kingham, The potential for walkable street spaces to enhance wellbeing (video, 9:47)
Professor Simon Kingham is in the School of Earth and Environment, University of Canterbury

Rolly Rowland, Raising the Golden Foot Award for Wairarapa – Raised Pedestrian Crossings on State Highway 2 (video, 17:37)
David (Rolly) Rowland is Southern Area Programme Manager for Road to Zero, Waka Kotahi

Jeanette Ward, Planning and designing with a gender lens (video, 10:05)
Jeanette Ward is Technical Director, Abley

Emily Ward and Nick Reid, Age-friendly design: Bursting with Stride! (video, 14:09)
Emily Ward, University of Canterbury / Te Manatū Waka (Ministry of Transport)
Nick Reid, University of Canterbury / Via Strada

How Do We Achieve Pedestrian Improvements?

Gerry Dance and Patricia Vasconcelos, Overview of the Pedestrian Network Guidance (PDF, 3.5MB)
Gerry Dance is Team Leader Multi-modal, Programme & Standards, Transport Services, Waka Kotahi
Patrícia Vasconcelos is Principal Multi-modal Advisor, Programme and Standards, Transport Services, Waka Kotahi

John Lieswyn, We can quantify the economic impact of investing in roads for drivers - why not pedestrians? (PDF, 6.2MB)
John Lieswyn is Director and Principal Transportation Planner, Via Strada

Walking into the Future - Pedestrian Perspectives

Panel discussion, Walking into the Future - Pedestrian Perspectives (video, 51:03)
Panel at the 2023 Walking Summit, with speakers Carina Duke, Carl Lintott, Ed Hill, Ingrid Robertson, and Judi Whittingham

Living Streets Aotearoa's YouTube channel is a great place to find Walking Summit and other walking videos - please subscribe to get notifications.

Check out the 2023 Walking Summit highlghts video:

 

Video credit: Ramibaha.com


Full programme available to download

 

All about the Walking Summit

This year’s Walking Summit brought together people from across Aotearoa to discuss how we can make the places we live more walkable, liveable, and sustainable. The Walking Summit was held in Ōtautahi Christchurch for the first time on Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th July 2023.

As well as exploring ways to reduce emissions, increase resilience in the face of climate change and create more inclusive streets, the Summit celebrated those who are removing barriers to walking in their communities.

There was an impressive programme of speakers, walkshops, and discussions. A series of experts, leaders, and change-makers shared their insights on how to create walking-friendly spaces, including:

  • A keynote address from transport equity campaigner John Minto;
  • A panel on how walking can contribute to transport emissions reductions;
  • All about the National Walking Plan, currently under development;
  • Professor Simon Kingham, Dr Shanthi Ameratunga and others shared research on creating inclusive streets;
  • Councillor Sara Templeton on walking as part of the Christchurch rebuild;
  • Nicki Williams applying a female and equity lens to transport;
  • Waka Kotahi and local government representatives provided their insights on what's coming up in the policy space; and
  • we got inspired by the amazing mahi undertaken by Living Streets Aotearoa Golden Foot winners Colin Meurk and Walking Festival director Jacqui Miller.

Please contact WalkingSummit@livingstreets.org.nz if you have any questions.

 

Walking Summit 2023 poster

The third New Zealand Walking Summit, 2021

The third New Zealand Walking Summit was online on Zoom on 24 - 25 June 2021 and focused on some of the key issues for 2021 and beyond, including the Climate Change Commissions wero (challenge) to increase walk mode share by 25% by 2030, and the big shake up happening in our planning laws which we expect will lead to more pedestrian-centric development. A stimulating two day in depth look at the issues and solutions for pedestrians.

YouTube video clips from the 2 days of Summit are now available on this YouTube link. The playlist contains individual videos of each presentation, questions and panel sessions. Thanks to all our speakers for such great content.

 

A new era for Walking? - Delivering transformative change for urban environments and climate change

Walking Summit programme outline:

Day 1   9.30 - 5pm [Final programme details]

Minister of Transport

Pedestrian experience from different perspectives - Chair, Wellington Deputy Mayor Sarah Free

3 Walkshops -  on school travel, on accessibility, on green space and cultural elements in urban areas

Panel discussion 

Day 2   9 - 3pm [Final programme details]

Climate Change Commissioner

Walkability in current developments

Walking to school

Walk measurement

Public transport and walkability

Panel discussion

The Climate Change Commission has delivered its first report to the Government. In its draft advice the Climate Change Commission set a target of a 25% walk mode share increase, and stated that:

Reducing transport emissions is crucial to meeting our climate targets. Action here will have an immediate and lasting impact . . . In Aotearoa we need to change the way we build and plan our towns and cities and the way people and products move around. This includes making walking and cycling easier with good cycleways and footpaths . . . An integrated national transport network should be developed to reduce travel by private car. There needs to be much more walking, cycling and use of public and shared transport.

The Government has announced its intent to replace and refocus the Resource Management Act. Together with the Local Government Act this is where most of our walking planning gets done. One aim of that work will be to deliver:

Planning for positive outcomes, and managing adverse effects to achieve them: This re-orientates decision-making from mainly managing ‘adverse effects’ to seeking to achieve specified positive outcomes across natural and built environments to support intergenerational wellbeing – all within environmental limits and still manage adverse effects).

The proposed new planning legislation would integrate high level planning for transport, resource management and local government investment, while the Climate Change Response Act would provide mechanisms for addressing adjustments to climate change effects such as sea level rise. 

This Summit will focus on the steps that are needed to deliver on these two transformative visions. Visions that will embed walking as fundamental to a healthy, sustainable and social future for all of us, part of our valued human heritage and a right. We know urban populations strongly value walkability, that walkable neighbourhoods and well-designed cities improve public health and community resilience, that walkability can be measured in economic benefits and that well- designed denser cities encourage walking. This Summit will investigate how we get the improvements we need and deserve.

Please register using this online form and let us know of any access needs.

After the Summit we will post a video for you to share or if you missed out - don't miss out register now!

#NZWalkingSummit2021 #ClimateChange2021

Check back soon for the final New Zealand Walking Summit programme.

A big thanks to our sponsors:

Becky Bliss Design

Izzy Wilson

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2019 New Zealand Walking Summit 20 and 21 June 

Auckland at the Auckland Transport Building in the Viaduct harbour

Click here for the 2019 summit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2017 New Zealand Walking Summit

The 2017 New Zealand Walking Summit was an exciting opportunity for those involved in transport, health, urban design and local government and of course walking advocates too, to explore our theme of 'how to make New Zealand a world leading walking place'.

The outcomes of the NZ Walking Summit is our new four point plan

Living Streets Aotearoa’s four point plan for walking:

  1. Improve safety in urban areas with a 30 km/h speed limit around all schools and shopping centres  
  2. Properly fund walking and pedestrian infrastructure by assigning 1% of the National Land Transport Fund budget to walking
  3. Reverse the decline in kids walking to school with a national ‘safe routes to school’ programme
  4. Future proof our roading projects by making the NZ Pedestrian Planning and Design Guide the national standard for all new roading projects.

Here is video of

And here is the talk from our keynote speaker Dr Ben Wooliscroft, "Why can't we walk?" (attached), who we didn't manage to video. Ben says "The data I presented was interesting in it’s lack of variance – by gender, area, income, etc, except as reported. There’s a really strong groundswell of support for prioritising active transport in NZ. Keep up the great work."

 

About Us

Living Streets Aotearoa is the New Zealand organisation for people on foot, promoting walking-friendly communities. We are a nationwide organisation with local branches and affiliates throughout New Zealand.

We want more people walking and enjoying public spaces be they young or old, fast or slow, whether walking, sitting, commuting, shopping, between appointments, or out on the streets for exercise, for leisure or for pleasure.

JOIN US and help with our campaigns