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Nathaniel, Sustainable Transport Coordinator

NATHANIEL, SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT COORDINATOR

Cycling advocate

There's not many jobs in Taranaki where owing a bike is practically a perquisite for the job but Nathaniel is determined to 'walk the talk' and use his bike as his main mode of transport around town.

Watch Nathaniel's video about life in New Plymouth and work at the Council on YouTube.

What’s your background?

After considering the fantastic array of tertiary study on offer I decided science looked the most interesting and studied botany at Massey then ecology at Otago.

Following university I decided a dose of international adventure was in order and disappeared abroad for 12 years. During that time I developed an interest in photojournalism and secured work as a press photographer for a broadsheet newspaper in the UK where I worked up until my return to New Zealand. My concerns over out-of-control consumerism and rampant materialism that have become the defining hallmarks of our present global society ultimately brought my family and I home to New Zealand.

Since returning I have picked up further extramural study in ecology and conservation. My role as sustainable transport co-ordinator for NPDC provides a great opportunity to apply the key principles of conservation in generating practical transport solutions for our district.

Describe your job.

In a nutshell it’s about reducing the number of vehicle trips made daily around New Plymouth District. In the absence of strong decisive government action to address our national car addiction, my role is to encourage a behaviour change by providing incentives for people to use sustainable modes of travel. This can be achieved through travel planning for schools and businesses, facilitating community based sustainable transport projects and programmes, running information and media campaigns, arranging community events and so on.

What opportunity is there for progression in your role?

While there isn’t an obvious step up the career ladder I think this is an important role that is far too big for one person. In order to re-sort the hierarchy of our streets we need a dedicated team of travel planners, engineers and urban designers working together for a common outcome - civilised, shared road spaces for all users.Return to top

What qualifications do you need?

There are no specific qualifications that are a prerequisite for this job but I’ve noticed that this type of role is often held be people with a media, education, engineering or even science background.

Our reasons for travelling the way we do and the way in which we use our streets and public spaces is never a constant. And as such it is very important to be aware of contemporary thinking, strategies and solutions. My learning is a work in progress.

What skills do you need for your job?

You need to be persuasive but not pushy, enthusiastic but not extreme and you have to ride your bike everywhere! As is suggested in the title it’s a co-ordination role which means liaising with all sorts. So for me to be effective I need to be a decent communicator, easy, informed and practical.

What do you like most about your job?

There are a lot of things I like about my job but I suppose the overriding satisfaction is that everything I do improves our transport culture, eases our environmental impact, gets people more active and helps to create a city more deserving of our title of most liveable city.

What do you like most about working in local government?

The opportunity to get involved in positive changes for the community I’m a part of.

What do you  like about working for NPDC?

There’s an expectation that people will do their jobs, so you’re given a lot of trust and freedom to get on with it and do it well.

What makes NPDC a good employer?

In my experience the Council is an organisation of many talented individuals open and able to contribute positively to one another. I like to work on a collective basis you can achieve more that way.

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