CAN is a network of people who love riding bikes. We are governed by a Board. We have employees based in Auckland and Wellington.
Board members in 2023
- Alex Dyer is CAN's Chair.
He lives in Wellington / Poneke with his wife and three kids. While he is not a cyclist, he does mostly get around the city using a yellow Bullitt bakfiets cargobike and really enjoys riding for recreation when time allows.Alex is a current Co-Chair of Cycle Wellington, where he has been an active member for around 15 years. He is passionate about the potential for more and better biking conditions to reduce car dependency in Aotearoa.On Fridays in Wellington, you can join Alex at most Picnics In Parks, which he helps facilitate.
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- Christopher Dempsey is the Secretary. He lives in Auckland / Tamaki Makaurau A long time cyclist, member of Bike Auckland (previously Cycle Action Auckland). Christopher supports Liberating the Lane, and regularly supports different cycling events. He sometimes works for Bike Auckland as a Bike Valet. He founded and supports Rainbow Riders Tamaki Makaurau, a collective of GLBTIQ cyclists and micro mobility people.
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- Gillian Ward is CAN Treasurer, based in Tairawhiti / Gisborne.
In Gisborne, a small compact city with wide streets, being mostly flat city, and with generally good weather, walking and cycling should be the usual mode of transport. But, instead we have a city dominated by cars. I am an advocate for walking and cycling here, with Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails Trust and Gisborne Canoe & Tramping Club. We are working with our local Council and others to develop more paths and trails and make the environment safer and more enjoyable for people walking and cycling (more broadly, active travel). Along with Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa we are developing a Tairāwhiti Tracks and Trails Strategy, and as a stepping stone towards this have launched a new website - https://tairawhititrails.nz/, which will give up to date information about all tracks and trails in our region, and encourage people to be more active.
I don't have a car but I have three bikes - a town bike with two carriers for shopping, a folding bike for travelling (it is easy to pack into a bag for the Intercity bus), and a mountain bike for recreation. Walking and cycling, in any weather, are everyday activities for me.
Gisborne can easily be isolated when weather events cause slips on our fragile road connections, and the reinstatement of the Napier to Gisborne railway line for freight and passenger travel is needed for resilience and to reduce carbon emissions. I lead a local campaign to reinstate the rail connection.
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- Robert McLachlan - Regional Member, based in Palmerston North / Papaioea
Robert learnt to ride in Little Hagley Park, Christchurch, and now lives in Palmerston North.He once lived in Cambridge, UK, home to the highest cycling mode share in Britain (46%!) where he experienced every kind of cycle lane and cycleway ever invented. He's focused on the climate impacts of transport, which means phasing out the unsustainable modes (flying and fossil-fueled private cars) and ramping up the sustainable ones, especially walking and cycling.
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Karen Hormann is the North Island Regional Member, based in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland.After years of stressful driving in Auckland, Karen sold her car, vowing to not buy another one. Discovering how much fun it is riding an e-bike around the city, the car has never been missed.
Finding the advocacy group, Bike Auckland, also was life-changing, and 18 months after signing on as Treasurer, Karen took the role of Chair. Bike Auckland is a member of CAN and Karen has recently been elected to represent the North Island member organisations on the board.
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Augusta van Wjik is the South Island Regional Member, based in Nelson.