Local election results show support for smart, lowcarbon cities - Generation Zero

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sunday 13 October

Youth organisation Generation Zero believes the local body election results show that kiwis back smart transport projects and liveable, low carbon cities all around New Zealand.

Generation Zero spokesperson Madeleine Foreman congratulated all the elected councillors and mayors, saying that this year’s local election campaigns represented a great effort on the part of successful and unsuccessful candidates alike.

Generation Zero volunteers interviewed candidates in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, and Dunedin to produce scorecards showing their stance on key local issues related to climate change such as transport, housing, urban design and fossil fuel extraction.

“Overall we’re really pleased to see that so many elected mayors and councillors around the country are supportive of policies to move their regions towards a low carbon future.

“With the exception of Hamilton and Nelson, where the elected mayors didn’t respond to our survey, all of the elected mayors were ranked top or top equal based on their responses to the our questions.

“One example that stands out is in Christchurch, where mayorelect Lianne Dalziel plus ten of the thirteen elected councillors all support the goal of making the city carbon neutral by 2050, with the other three not responding to our survey.” The Generation Zero local elections website received over 10,000 visits, which the group says indicates the growing importance of issues like effective public transport and low carbon development to voters.

“People around the country have voted for mayors and councillors promising action towards a low carbon future. Generation Zero looks forward to working with our councils to hold them to their words and make great things happen.”

ENDS

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