Greg has been a professional actor, writer and director for over 25 years. He began his career at The Court Theatre in Christchurch and since then has MCed and entertained at hundreds of conferences and events throughout New Zealand and Australia. He wrote and directed Mark Hadlow’s hugely successful one man show MAMIL (Middle Aged Man In Lycra) and co-wrote the critically acclaimed Kate Sheppard musical That Bloody Woman. Other career highlights include playing the Paddlepop Lion, a pot smoking motorcyclist on Shortland Street and a heroic faun in the film The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. These characters are also available for conferences although he hasn’t had any takers to date. Greg has had a long association with Harding Consultants and is thrilled to be back to MC his second Trafinz Conference.

Justin Lester was elected Mayor in 2016 after two terms as a councillor. During his time on Council, Justin has championed the living wage, prioritised good quality local services and supported local businesses. He feels strongly that good local government services make a huge difference in people’s lives. Justin’s priorities as Mayor include kick-starting the economy, making housing affordable, improving Wellington’s transport, replacing outdated bylaws and prioritising arts funding. He also wants to establish the country’s first wet house, provide a rates rebate for first-home builders and create the world’s first predator-free capital. Justin grew up in Invercargill. He has an LLB and a BA (German) from the University of Otago and a Masters of Laws (LLM) from the University of Heidelberg in Germany. In his mid-twenties, Justin co-founded Kapai, a Wellington food enterprise. Justin has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. He was formerly the Director of Property and Asset Management at international commercial property firm Jones Lang LaSalle. He has served on the Boards of Wellington SPCA, Wellington Waterfront Ltd, Capital Football, Johnsonville Charitable Trust, Johnsonville Property Trust, and as a Guardian at Zealandia. Justin and his wife Liz have two young daughters and live in Johnsonville.

Paul Steely White is executive director of Transportation Alternatives, New York City’s leading advocates for bicycling, walking and public transportation. Before joining Transportation Alternatives in April 2004, he served as Africa Regional Director for the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, a non-profit group based in New York City. In 2011, Mr. White was selected to receive the Rockefeller Foundation's Jane Jacobs Medal, which recognizes those whose creative uses of the urban environment build a more diverse, dynamic, and equitable city. In 2015, Paul was recognized by the New York Academy of Medicine for his work to make streets safer and healthier. He took a leadership role in making New York the nation's first US city to embrace Vision Zero, and that work has resulted in hundreds of lives saved in few years since its adoption. Paul is a thought leader in transportation whose name appears regularly in the New York Times and other leading media outlets in NYC and beyond. He relishes his weekends, largely spent frolicking on the Brooklyn waterfront with his wife Zoe and their nine-year-old daughter Anna Jane and toddler twins Ivy and Ray.

Since 1995 Andy has chaired major Wellington City Council committees covering Transport, Infrastructure, Built and Natural Environment, Recreation, Urban Development and Strategy and Policy. He now chairs Council’s Finance Committee as well as being Council’s Urban Development Leader. He was a founding trustee and long-time Guardian of Karori Sanctuary (Zealandia), and is President of TRAFINZ ‐ the Traffic Institute of NZ. He chairs the Karori Brooklyn Community Charitable Trust, and Karori Park Sports Club. He’s served on several Boards and has recently been appointed to the Board of Wellington International Airport Ltd. Andy is a Sanctuary volunteer, a keen mountain runner, footballer and enjoys tramping, kayaking and skiing.

David Chick is the Chief City Planner for Wellington City Council, a role he has held since his April 2016 arrival into New Zealand. David is a Landscape Architect and Urban Designer with significant experience in the engagement, design and creation of spaces, places and cities. He is well known for his established philosophy of asking the tough question – WHY? – and placing people at the heart of all he does. David’s integrated design experience, spanning over 15 years, extends across all levels of public and private places and projects, including Hobart, Brisbane, and most recently Adelaide – a city that is purposely reinventing itself through an engaging place-making approach. David’s directorate at Wellington City Council covers consenting and compliance, resilience and sustainability, transport and infrastructure, heritage and urban development, land use and transport planning, urban design and waste management, and therefore responsible for much of the design, look, feel and function of Wellington. David already considers himself a passionate Wellingtonian and thrives on the exciting challenges and opportunities facing us, especially the way we design and shape our city to respond to the future shocks and stresses; such as climate change, population growth and seismic risk, in a way that enhances our experiences and celebrates the very things that make Wellington great.

Time to pose questions to all presenters in this session.