Charging Ahead

This was a public webinar. You can watch a recording below, or listen to it in podcast form here.

Congestion charging is likely to be implemented in several New Zealand cities in the coming years, with a wide range of central and local government politicians now supporting the concept. However, how congestion charging is structured and the objectives it is designed to achieve will be critical in ensuring that it is both fair and effective for all road users. Our report, Te Ara Matatika | A Fair Charge For Better Cities looked at some of these challenges and opportunities.

This webinar built on the work of our report, along with other developments in the years since. A panel of experts explored the various charging models that could be applied in our cities, the advantages and disadvantages they present compared to our current approach, and the lessons that can be learned from international experience.

The panel discussion featured:

• Kali Mercier– Kali is the WSP Fellow and Deputy Director of the Helen Clark Foundation. Kali has an extensive background in law, policy, and international development, which has taken her to Berlin, London, Mexico City and Botswana. Before coming to the Helen Clark Foundation, Kali worked as Principal Advisor at the Ministry of Justice, Policy Director at the NZ Drug Foundation and as a human rights advocate for Amnesty UK and other charities overseas.
• Eric Crampton– Eric is the Chief Economist at The New Zealand Initiative. With the Initiative, he has worked in policy areas ranging from freshwater management to policy for earthquake preparedness, and from local government to technology policy. He is a regular columnist with Stuff and Newsroom and frequent commentator on road pricing and congestion charging policy.
• Nadine Dodge– The moderator for the panel, Nadine is a Principal Economist at Te Waihanga the Infrastructure Commission. Prior to this, she worked in the transport sector, contributing to the planning and economic appraisal of a range of transport projects, including mass transit, bus priority, cycleway, and pedestrian amenity improvement projects. Nadine holds a BA from Skidmore College (New York) and a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington.
• Mehmet Ahmet– Mehmet is a Major Projects Director at WSP, with an MSc Transport Planning and a background in geography with over 20 years of experience. He brings an international perspective having successfully delivered and led a broad range of transportation projects overseas and in New Zealand. Mehmet has led multidisciplinary teams across several projects, including congestion charging projects – with his most recent being in Cambridge, United Kingdom, for WSP.
• Scott Wilson– Scott leads CDM Smith’s road user charging business in Australia and New Zealand. He has 24 years’ experience in road pricing policy and implementation. He has advised governments in Australia, New Zealand, the US and Europe on road pricing, including Auckland Transport and the Ministry of Transport NZ on congestion pricing in Auckland.