All articles by James Paul

Unprecedented devastation, now for the rebuild

Cyclone Gabrielle claimed the lives of 11 people, described as the worst weather event of this century. It devastated Hawke’s Bay, causing unprecedented damage to lives and livelihoods. There was also a loss of life to the north, in Tairawhiti, while two volunteer firefighters died in a Muriwai landslide. But while life has returned to normal for many in Hawke’s Bay, many thousands of others across the region still face a long and difficult journey to return to some semblance of normality.

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Air New Zealand in the thick of it

Following the cancellation of 509 flights, Air New Zealand’s international and domestic network was back up and running on 15 February. Flying into heavily impacted regions New Plymouth, Napier and Gisborne had also resumed with some minor disruptions as the airline worked through operationalising the routes.

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The state of New Zealand’s roads

The quality of New Zealand’s roads and the infrastructure we drive over have been top of mind for many frustrated drivers of both small and commercial vehicles. However, there may be smoother roads ahead thanks to a $400 million funding boost.

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New rules around public transport ownership

Transport Minister Hon Michael Wood has announced new rules that could allow councils to own their public transport. The new transport plan involves the Government dropping the current Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) and replacing it with a Sustainable Public Transport Framework, and the Land Transport Management Act will also be amended.

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Driving down emissions

Unsurprisingly, the Emissions Reduction Plan – released on May 16 – requires actions across every sector of the economy including transport, energy and industry, building and construction, agriculture, forestry, waste and fluorinated gases.

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Port for New Zealand’s biggest city

The two years of global pandemic have been tumultuous for Port of Auckland. As the centre of New Zealand’s COVID-19 outbreaks it felt the effects of the pandemic more sharply than other NZ ports. COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on its performance and throughput, but there is hope that the port is entering “what is hopefully a better era”.

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Emissions reduction plan

The Climate Change Response Act 2002 requires the Government to publish the emissions reduction plan by 31 May 2022, after it gave itself a five-month extension in September, setting out how New Zealand will meet its climate targets.

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