Caroline is a Public Health Medicine specialist and epidemiologist at the University of Otago Wellington. She teaches environmental health and her research is focused on transport policies that can improve health and reduce carbon emissions.

Hon Phil Twyford was born and raised in Auckland. He is the Labour Member of Parliament for Te Atatu, where he lives. Phil’s vision is for New Zealand to deliver hope and opportunity to all people. He is committed to fixing the housing and transport problems that affect our biggest city, as well as much of the rest of the country. After studying politics at Auckland University, Phil worked as a journalist and union organiser before becoming the founding Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand. Phil’s strong belief in justice led to him becoming Oxfam’s Global Advocacy Director, based in Washington DC. Upon returning to New Zealand, Phil was elected to Parliament for the Labour Party in 2008. In Opposition, he held the portfolios of Housing, Transport, Auckland Issues, and Disarmament and Arms Control. As Minister for Housing and Urban Development and Transport, Phil is looking forward to working with communities to build a better New Zealand.

Sandy’s research focuses on multidisciplinary and multi-sector approach to physical activity and health with the links to transportation, built environment and sustainability. Her academic training and professional experiences span Europe, Canada, United States and New Zealand. She is the academic leader of the Active Living Laboratory (www.otago.ac.nz/active-living) and the principal investigator on the Built Environment and Active Transport to School: BEATS Study (www.otago.ac.nz/beats).

Simon Kingham is a Professor of Geography at the University of Canterbury where he is also Director of the GeoHealth laboratory and deputy-Director of the Geospatial Research Institute. Since the beginning of the year he has also taken on the role of Chief Science Advisor to the Ministry of Transport. The role is to “provide advice to the Ministry on areas that would benefit from scientific input” and “champions the Ministry’s use of evidence throughout the policy process and its development of wider sector strategies”.