Transport

Beat the bike thieves: love it, lock it, log it

BETWEEN 500 AND 1,000 bikes are reported stolen in Auckland every year. However, according to Bike Auckland, the actual number of thefts could be as high as 5,000. The organisation’s website says: “This is because many people do not report it when their bike is stolen, and sometimes bike theft is listed more generally as ‘theft’ or ‘burglary’ in the police database.” It continues: “With such a high incidence [of] bike theft, insurers are reconsidering their coverage of bikes.” 529 Garage is a free bike registration system that helps to get bikes that are stolen back to their owners. Widespread 529 Garage use has the power to make bike theft inconvenient and unprofitable, dampening the stolen bike market. In Vancouver, where it originated, 529 Garage has been very successful, with a 20 per cent year on year decrease in bike theft once it was launched. Once registered, if your bike is stolen, you can use 529 Garage to alert the police and nearby community. People can contact you anonymously through the app if they see your bike, or you can choose to release your contact information publicly for updates.

For more information about how to get involved with 529 Garage, tips about bike locks, and ideas for employers who want to support their cycling employees, go to bikeauckland.org.nz/beat-the-bike-thieveslove-it-lock-it-log-it

Half-price public transport until 31 August

IN JUNE, TWO long weekends for Queen’s Birthday and Matariki could be the perfect time to get out and about, taking advantage of reduced fares on public transport. Around Auckland, this means 50 per cent off bus, train, and ferry services. Even better, there’s an extra 10 per cent off during off-peak times, which include all weekends and public holidays! All you need is your AT HOP card.

To find out more and plan your journey, visit at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/ fares-discounts/halfprice-discount-on-publictransport-fares

Clean Car rebate scheme ‘exceeds expectations’ in first nine months

“THE CLEAN CAR discount scheme is off to an electric start, helping to get more Kiwis behind the wheel of cheaper electric vehicles,” said Transport Minister Michael Wood in April, adding that the scheme had “exceeded expectations”, having already reached 12,000 approved rebates.

The Clean Car rebate provides a maximum of $8,625 for low and zero-emission new and used imports. The Ministry of Transport’s tracker reports that there are now 38,000 EVs in the country’s fleet, having grown by nearly half in just eight months.

“[This] milestone means that electric and hybrid vehicles now make up around 1 per cent of Aotearoa’s light-vehicle fleet. This is a promising start, but we need to keep building on this momentum. As demand for electric and hybrid vehicles grows worldwide, Aotearoa needs to be an active participant in this market, and avoid being in a position where we are the dumping ground for high-emitting vehicles from other countries moving ahead in the decarbonisation of their fleet,” said Minister Wood.

As of 1 April, clean car rebates have applied to a wider range of used and new fuel-efficient, hybrid, and electric vehicles.

Northern Busway extension to Albany is now open

PUBLIC TRANSPORT COMMUTERS on Te whenua roa o kahu North Shore have been enjoying a more reliable journey time over the past few weeks as the extension of the Northern Busway out to Albany opened in early May.

“A great transport network does more than just help people get around; it creates thriving communities by connecting people with whānau and friends, getting to and from work and accessing essential services and education,” says Steve Mutton, Waka Kotahi director regional relationships Te Tai Tokerau me Tāmaki Makaurau.

“Reliable public transport options make it more appealing for people to leave their car at home and hop on the bus to get around. Growing the number of people who use public transport helps make our transport system safer for everyone, as well as support Aotearoa’s move towards a low carbon transport system.”

Waka Kotahi NZTA has partnered with Auckland Transport to deliver the package of works to extend the northern busway to Albany, and upgrade Constellation Station as part of the Northern Corridor Improvements (NCI) project.

A new busway bridge connects the Northern Busway on the eastern side of SH1 with Albany Station on the western side, and the extension is expected to provide a time saving of two to three minutes in each direction. Upgrades to Constellation Station include a new northbound platform connected to the south-

Left to right: Steve Mutton (Waka Kotahi), Minister of Transport, Hon Michael Wood, Carmen Hetaraka (Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust), Auckland Mayor Phil Goff, and Dave Hilson (Auckland Transport)

bound platform by an overbridge as well as lifts, additional toilets, driver facilities and a kiosk area.

“The Northern Busway is the main arterial of the public transport network to and from the North Shore. At its pre-Covid peak, it transported over 36,000 people to and from work, study and play every day, representing 12 per cent of all bus trips for the Auckland region,” says Shane Ellison, Auckland Transport CEO.

“Investment in fast and efficient public transport infrastructure is the only way to keep our growing city moving and reduce emissions to protect our planet for future generations of Aucklanders and New Zealanders. And it is what Aucklanders and visitors expect from a world-class city.”

Busting myths about auto-centricity

DR TIMOTHY F WELCH, senior lecturer in architecture and planning at the University of Auckland, wrote a thought-provoking piece for GreaterAuckland.org.nz, entitled “Your next car should be a bike”. In it, he discussed five “myths” that potentially cloud people’s opinions of reducing our “auto-centric” (i.e., focused on cars) thinking and improving facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.

This includes the suggestion that adding road capacity reduces congestion. Dr Welch argues that this is “perhaps the most widely understood, yet universally ignored”, commenting that:

“…when new highway capacity is added, people see the potential time savings and change their behaviour to take advantage of the faster travel times. This behaviour change includes switching back to driving from another mode, driving on the expanded highway rather than local or arterial roads, or travelling at peak hours rather than during less congested off-peak times. In the long-run, peak hour congestion will return to the level it was before the road expansion.”

After presenting supporting data and the argument for improved public transport, he concludes:

FLOW Development Forecast Trend Induced Demand

Widening Predicted Traffic and Actual Traffic after a road widening.

“For almost 150 years we have had one of the most efficient, sustainable, accessible and safe modes of transport available. It requires no fossil fuel to transport individuals across a city. It has virtually no negative impacts on the climate, does not make the air dirty, it doesn’t clog streets, nor does it demand city altering infrastructure. It is perhaps the most equitable form of transportation, and it compliments rather than competes with public transport.

If you want to help make our transportation system sustainable, your next car should be a bike.”

To read Dr Welch’s article in full, go to greaterauckland. org.nz/2021/11/17/your-nextcar-should-be-a-bike-busting5-myths-about-reducing-autocentricity

Want to free yourself from fuel price hikes?

RESEARCH BY THE EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) suggests that more than 40 per cent of purchasers would consider an EV for their next vehicle. To help calculate the potential cost savings and emissions reduction, Gen Less has created an online calculator to compare the costs of buying, running, and on-selling new EVs with hybrid, petrol, and diesel alternatives. You can apply filters like price, make, and model to get as relevant a result as possible.

To weigh up your options, go to genless.govt.nz/for-business/ moving-people/vehicle-total-costof-ownership-calculator

Don’t know where to start with IT? Is your business prepared for the worst?

SPARK BUSINESS HUB Auckland North can take an objective look at your current situation, explain the risks, and offer practical advice around backup and IT solutions.

Devices can get lost, hardware can fail, and data can be corrupted, so a solid backup strategy is one of the critical elements of being prepared.

According to Richmond House Group 2020, “20 per cent of small to medium-sized businesses will suffer a major disaster causing loss of critical data every five years.” Cloud backups are no longer a luxury but a necessity for every business.

Backup solutions take time and effort, but imagine trying to recreate lost data! It can result in frustrated employees, disappointed clients, and missing out on sales. The Spark Business Hub Auckland North team can help you create a backup and recovery plan that will keep all your data safe and accessible, regardless of where it is stored.

Spark’s solution benefits include data security, and complete cloud and on-site backups – all of which are cost-effective and custom-built and scalable to your business needs.

To see how Spark Business Hub Auckland

North can help protect you and your clients, go to

spark.co.nz/business/contactus/ business-hubs/aucklandnorth

How the past can help us look ahead

RECENT EVENTS, INCLUDING the Covid pandemic and the Russian/Ukrainian war, have severely impacted our access to necessities. Increasing costs for building materials, petrol, power, food and shelter are causing many to question when it will all come to a halt and when we will have some certainty in our everyday lives so we can begin to plan ahead.

In our commercial property investment world, we are noticing some trends emerging that we thought might occur when the pandemic started two years ago. As always, Auckland experiences the uplift in buoyant times first and, similarly, is the first to be adversely affected by weaker economic times. The effects of both extremes filter down to the provincial level around 18 months later.

Commercial property benefitted from increasing values during the greatest period of growth in the world’s modern history, from 2015 to 2022. Interestingly, the period began following the recovery from the Global Financial Crisis (late 2007 to late 2009) and finished with the world recovering from the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The period of growth was driven by prolonged low interest rates, government support to many sectors, and a lot of money looking for greater income returns than bank deposits could offer. The current period of economic downturn is marked by rising interest rates, tightening bank liquidity, and careful lending policies of both traditional banks and alternative lending sources.

Covid-19’s effect on working habits may prove irreversible. Tenants have had time to experience working from home, and some organisations are now looking at this time as an opportunity to future proof their own business by incorporating remote work/flexibility in the workspace. This may lead to some tenants reducing their spaces in commercial buildings or forgoing them altogether. There will likely always be a need for an office space to create and foster workplace culture. It allows for an osmosis experience for passing knowledge and sharing experience and assistance for all staff members to fulfil their roles. Regardless of this, there will be a shift in the way businesses choose to tenant going forward.

The expected rapid rise in interest rates is likely to result in commercial property values reducing, which means that only landlords with cash reserves will be able to sustain the impact. Prospective investors in commercial property should carefully analyse how the investing entity plans to mitigate the effect of both interest rate rises and the tenancy risks mentioned above. Careful planning and management of finances and tenancies have always been important in owning commercial property, along with the quality of the building.

For more information on mitigating commercial property investment risks or any other matters relevant to investing in commercial property through a shareholding in an investment company, please contact us on (09) 414 6078. Alternatively, you can talk with Neil Tuffin directly on (021) 481 441 or myself, Jodi Tuffin, on (021) 0844 2523.

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01 Jun Know your numbers 29 Jun Seven ways to grow your business 20 Jul Attracting and retaining talent 22 Aug Getting paid 21 Sep Reclaiming your time 20 Oct Your personal budget 22 Nov How robust is your trust?

Register at pathfindersolutions.co.nz/webinars

Communication is key!

WHEN THE COVID-19 crisis first erupted, businesses across New Zealand were plunged into the uncertainty of how to navigate through such unprecedented times. Businesses have spent the last two years implementing workplace changes in response to the everchanging landscape and this has required employers and employees having to adapt to new ways of working.

Many employers have introduced remote working to keep the business wheels turning. Yet, switching to remote working can often lead to a disconnect between an employee and employer with differing levels of expectations between the parties. The issue is simply a lack of communication. Remote workers often feel isolated from their team and are unsure of workload expectations. Whilst those who work on-site can feel trepidation around any health/safety risk and some even feel embarrassed about being asked to disclose their vaccination status before returning to work. Likewise, employers are not sure what parameters to set for working arrangements, whether they can compel staff to be vaccinated and even find themselves worrying about productivity levels for those remote working.

So how do the parties navigate this minefield?

Well, the best way is simply by communicating with one another. Keeping in touch with your team is an effective way to manage both parties’ expectations. Managers should have regular catch-ups with their team to ensure everyone feels supported and to set work expectations from the outset. Similarly, employees should not be afraid to speak up if they’re unhappy in any way. Communication works both ways – in fact, it is a legal obligation posed on both parties. Employment law requires both parties to engage in good faith and the early communication of workplace concerns is key if the employment relationship is to remain on foot (important with today’s labour shortages).

Work-related grievances could so easily be avoided if the parties just spoke about their concerns rather than opt straight for resolution via the more formal channels of mediation or the Employment Relations Authority which only destroys the employment relationship and puts both parties to expense and heaps of stress. Yet, we are seeing an influx of cases which could so easily have been avoided just because the parties didn’t feel connected or able to engage with one another.

As we are all now living and working in a “new normal” it is important that we all try to adapt to change. However, reactions to change can be different for everyone – there is no “one size fits all”. So, as business owners we need to accept that any change in our working arrangements may be easier for some to adapt to than others. The important point is to continually communicate with the workforce – make sure your managers stay in regular contact with their team (on-site or remotely) and encourage employees to come forward with any concerns. Sometimes issues can be resolved simply by sitting down and talking!

Emma Monsellier | Director

022 376 4977 emma@monsellierlaw.com 2/40 Arrenway Drive, Albany,

Auckland 0632

www.monsellierlaw.com