Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Transport methods in Bay of Plenty 'make or break' for reducing carbon emissions

Megan Wilson
By Megan Wilson
Multimedia Journalist·Bay of Plenty Times·
23 May, 2021 09:42 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌

Subscriber benefit

The ability to gift paywall-free articles is a subscriber only benefit. See more offers by clicking the button below.

Already a subscriber?  Sign in here
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

A better, more reliable bus system is needed to encourage commuters to ditch cars for buses. Photo / George Novak
A better, more reliable bus system is needed to encourage commuters to ditch cars for buses. Photo / George Novak

A better, more reliable bus system is needed to encourage commuters to ditch cars for buses. Photo / George Novak

A Bay of Plenty environmental sustainability advisor says improving transport methods is a "make or break issue" when it comes to reducing carbon emissions.

And it seems the public agree, with around 60 per cent of public submissions for the draft Regional Land Transport Plan believing weight should be given to environmental sustainability.

That's according to a report to be presented at a Bay of Plenty Regional Council meeting on Friday, to deliberate and discuss the council's investment in the transport plan.

The plan is the Bay of Plenty's blueprint for transport projects as well as its pitch for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency funding for the projects.

Public submissions included improving the safety of pedestrian and cycle routes and having a reliable, multi-modal transport system to support a shift from dependency on cars.

Open up the latest news from Rotorua

Get daily headlines from the Rotorua region straight to your inbox.
Please email me competitions, offers and other updates. You can stop these at any time.
By signing up for this newsletter, you agree to NZME’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Concerns from submitters included access to public transport and the practicalities of walking and cycling for rural communities, as well as the cost to ratepayers of delivering a low-emission transport system.

A reliable, multi-modal transport system is needed to support a shift from dependency on cars. Photo / George Novak
A reliable, multi-modal transport system is needed to support a shift from dependency on cars. Photo / George Novak

Environmental sustainability advisor Glen Crowther told the Bay of Plenty Times he wanted to see specific strategies and targets set in Tauranga to cut carbon emissions, and the development of a more sustainable transport plan.

"The biggest issue is carbon emissions from the transport sector. The transport system accounts for 80 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's a two-pronged problem. Firstly to have the right plan and the right targets at the local level, and secondly to actually have a transport plan that will have a chance at delivering that."

While the draft plan prioritised Tauranga projects, he said aside from agricultural emissions, transport was a major source of emissions in Rotorua, so change was needed across the region.

Discover more

$29m for economic development should be in plan for the future, committee recommends

17 May 08:56 PM
Education

Free school buses planned for Rotorua, Whakatāne students

12 May 06:00 PM

Crowther, who is with the Sustainable Bay of Plenty Trust and is also the environmental adviser to the Regional Land Transport Committee, believed carbon emissions issues were complex and people often looked to a "magic bullet" to reduce emissions.

But in reality, it involved commuters ditching their cars for buses, bikes, car pools or working from home, as well as getting more freight on to rail.

"We've got to come up with a realistic plan to start reducing the emissions at a practical level because, at the moment, the plan is not fit for purpose compared to what councils like Auckland and Wellington are wanting to do.

"And the big reason for that is the Tauranga council does not have a sustainability plan or strategy. It doesn't have any carbon targets."

A better, more reliable bus system is needed to encourage commuters to ditch cars for buses. Photo / George Novak
A better, more reliable bus system is needed to encourage commuters to ditch cars for buses. Photo / George Novak

Strategy and corporate planning manager at Tauranga City Council Jeremy Boase said the council was working to develop a sustainability plan, which would include setting specific carbon reduction targets and an action plan.

These were expected to be developed this year, and implemented from 2022.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Regional council general manager and corporate and chief financial officer Mat Taylor said the draft regional land transport plan contained a target of reducing carbon emissions from the transport sector by a minimum of 25 per cent by 2030, from a 2020 base.

This was on the path to net carbon zero by 2050, in line with the national direction.

However, Crowther was skeptical about this target being reached because the council had not set out clear objectives on how to achieve this, and believed more progress needed to be made on the ground by investing money into public transport.

The regional council said it was reducing carbon emissions in-house by subscribing to the Toitū Carbon Reduce programme, which had provided visibility on where the council generated emissions. The second annual audit was completed in March 2021, and the council reported an 8 per cent reduction on the previous year.

Sustainability and energy specialist at Western Bay of Plenty District Council Megan Wakefield said the council did not have a carbon emissions reduction target at this stage.

The Western Bay council was working with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority to set in-house energy reduction targets, and working towards joining a carbon reduction certification programme to reduce the council's greenhouse gas emissions.

Rotorua Lakes Council had set a target of reducing non-biogenic emissions by 30 per cent compared to the council's 2015/2016 baseline for 2030.

Whakatāne District Council had set a district goal to be net carbon zero (excluding biogenic methane and nitrous oxide) by 2030.

Subscriber benefit

The ability to gift paywall-free articles is a subscriber only benefit. See more offers by clicking the button below.

Already a subscriber?  Sign in here
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

'Heartbreaking': Labour slams National over housing policy

28 May 05:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Whakatāne homicide: Women accused of killing 8-year-old boy face additional charges

28 May 06:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

On The Up: 'Keep Rotorua beautiful' - Dad leads charge for citywide clean-up this Saturday

28 May 01:48 AM

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Russia to present peace terms to Ukraine at Istanbul talks
World

Russia to present peace terms to Ukraine at Istanbul talks

28 May 06:42 PM
Pedestrian dies after being hit by car in Christchurch
New Zealand

Pedestrian dies after being hit by car in Christchurch

28 May 06:36 PM
100km/h wind gusts: Rain, thunderstorms forecast for Auckland, Northland
New Zealand

100km/h wind gusts: Rain, thunderstorms forecast for Auckland, Northland

28 May 06:22 PM
Dozens of charges: Tate brothers face serious UK allegations
World

Dozens of charges: Tate brothers face serious UK allegations

28 May 06:11 PM
Netanyahu claims key Hamas leader killed
World

Netanyahu claims key Hamas leader killed

28 May 06:07 PM

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

'Heartbreaking': Labour slams National over housing policy

'Heartbreaking': Labour slams National over housing policy

28 May 05:00 PM

Rotorua MP Todd McClay rejects claims there have been targeted Māori housing cuts.

Whakatāne homicide: Women accused of killing 8-year-old boy face additional charges

Whakatāne homicide: Women accused of killing 8-year-old boy face additional charges

28 May 06:00 AM
On The Up: 'Keep Rotorua beautiful' - Dad leads charge for citywide clean-up this Saturday

On The Up: 'Keep Rotorua beautiful' - Dad leads charge for citywide clean-up this Saturday

28 May 01:48 AM
Tūroa Ski Field amps up for winter season

Tūroa Ski Field amps up for winter season

28 May 01:03 AM
Explore the hidden gems of NSW
sponsored

Explore the hidden gems of NSW

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search