Greater Auckland (advocacy group)
{{Short description|New Zealand advocacy group}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox organization
| full_name =
| logo = Greater_Auckland_logo.jpeg
| formation = 2008
| purpose = Urban planning
| location = Auckland, New Zealand
| website = https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/
| formerly = Auckland Transport Blog, Transport Blog
}}
Greater Auckland is a non-profit group that advocates for public transport and urbanism in Auckland, New Zealand. The group was originally founded as the Auckland Transport Blog but has since evolved to analysing and publishing on a number of Auckland issues.
History
Transport Blog's first post came on 8 July 2008 written in blog style by urban planner Josh Arbury, titled "Trains", which discussed the progress made on the Auckland train network.{{Cite web |author=admin |url= https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2008/07/08/trains/ |title=Trains |date=8 July 2008|website=Greater Auckland |access-date=8 January 2020}}
Arbury later said he was inspired to make comment on transport after seeing several episodes of a YouTube documentary by sustainable transport campaigner Michael Tritt, Auckland, City of Cars, which critiqued Auckland's dependence on cars and low uptake of public transport.{{Cite web |url= https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2008/05/01/the-beginning/ |author=admin |title=The beginning|date=1 May 2008|website=Greater Auckland| access-date=8 January 2020}} Matt Lowrie and Patrick Reynolds later joined the site as regular contributors, and became de facto administrators after Arbury took on the job of principal transport planner at Auckland Council in March 2012.{{Cite news |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=10842932 |title=Brian Rudman: Mayor should get real on transport |last=Rudman|first=Brian |date=25 October 2012 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=8 January 2020| issn=1170-0777}}
= "Congestion Free Network (CFN)" =
In collaboration with Generation Zero and the Campaign for Better Transport, Transport Blog unveiled maps that it proclaimed as the future of Auckland's public transportation network. The network was publicly presented to the Auckland Council's governing body in 2013.{{Cite web |url= https://cityvision.org.nz/news/congestion-free-network-presentation-to-the-transport-committee/ |title=Congestion Free Network presentation to the Transport Committee {{!}} City Vision |access-date=8 January 2020}} The proposals were adopted by the Green Party{{Cite press release |url= https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1408/S00104/generation-zero-welcomes-adoption-of-congestion-free-network.htm |title=Generation Zero welcomes adoption of Congestion Free Network | publisher=Generation Zero | agency=Scoop |access-date=8 January 2020 }}{{Cite news |url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/10358547/Green-party-announce-transport-policy |title=Green party announce transport policy | work=Stuff |access-date=8 January 2020}} and were referred to in the Labour Party's 2014 election platform.{{Cite web |url= https://voakl.net/2014/08/25/congestion-free-network-is-a-go/ |title=Congestion Free Network is a "Go" [update] |last=Ross|first=Ben |date=24 August 2014 |website=Talking Southern Auckland|access-date=8 January 2020}}
= From "Transport Blog" to "Greater Auckland" =
The group was officially incorporated as a society in 2015 as "Greater Auckland", while retaining "Transport Blog" branding online. A fundraiser was then set up in early 2017 to fully rebrand the transport blog into a policy advocacy organisation. The fundraiser successfully raised $20,000.{{Cite web |url= https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/5023-transport-blog-website-update-and-rebranding |title=Transport Blog website update and rebranding {{!}} PledgeMe |author=Greater Auckland |website=www.pledgeme.co.nz |access-date=8 January 2020}} Transport Blog officially switched to Greater Auckland in April 2017.{{Cite web |first=Matt |last=Lowrie |url= https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2017/04/04/fundraiser-update-and-new-campaign-tease/ |title=Fundraiser update and new campaign tease |date=3 April 2017 |website=Greater Auckland |access-date=8 January 2020}}
Later in 2017, Greater Auckland released its "Congestion Free Network 2", an updated version of the organisation's 2013 "CFN" map, which incorporated several changes, notably the introduction of a light rail line to Auckland Airport.{{Cite web |first=Matt |last=Lowrie |url= https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2017/04/10/introducing-the-congestion-free-network-2/ |title=Introducing the Congestion Free Network 2 |date=9 April 2017 |website=Greater Auckland| access-date=8 January 2020}} The map was editorialised by The Spinoff as "the map that will solve Auckland’s broken transport system".{{Cite web|url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/auckland/10-04-2017/this-vision-of-aucklands-transport-future-is-a-thing-of-beauty/|title=The map that will solve Auckland's broken transport system|date=10 April 2017|website=The Spinoff|access-date=8 January 2020}} In August 2017, the organisation released maps for regional rail from Auckland to other parts of the North Island.{{Cite web |url= https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2017/08/17/introducing-regional-rapid-rail/ |title=Introducing Regional Rapid Rail|last=Gale |first=Harriet |date=17 August 2017 |website=Greater Auckland|access-date=12 January 2020}}
= Mainstream prominence =
The group gained significant prominence in the 2017 general election where its "CFN 2.0" was adopted by the New Zealand Labour Party with significant policy pledges.{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Simon |title=The map that will solve Auckland’s broken transport system |url= https://thespinoff.co.nz/auckland/10-04-2017/this-vision-of-aucklands-transport-future-is-a-thing-of-beauty |access-date=1 July 2024 |work=The Spinoff |date=10 April 2017}} This came after the party pledged to complete sections of Auckland's light rail network by 2021.{{Cite news |first1=Anna |last1=Bracewell-Worrall |first2=Lloyd |last2=Burr |url= https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/08/labour-promises-light-rail-to-auckland-airport-within-a-decade.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170806045500/http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/08/labour-promises-light-rail-to-auckland-airport-within-a-decade.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 6 August 2017 |title=Labour promises light rail to Auckland Airport within a decade |work=Newshub |access-date=1 July 2024}}
In a 2017 article, the news website Politik described the group as "the website policy wonks winning over the Beehive". According to Politik, "one senior government minister privately described them as “f****** elitists who have captured the Government."{{Cite web|url=https://www.politik.co.nz/2018/05/24/the-website-policy-wonks-winning-over-the-beehive/|title=The website policy wonks winning over the Beehive {{!}} Politik|last=Harman|first=Richard|language=en-NZ|access-date=8 January 2020}} In 2018, senior writer for The New Zealand Herald, Simon Wilson, picked Matt Lowrie as the 11th most politically influential Aucklander for his writing on Greater Auckland.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12284789|title=Auckland political power rankings: The top 25|last=Wilson|first=Simon|date=14 November 2019|work=NZ Herald|access-date=8 January 2020|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777}}
Later in September 2019, site administrator Patrick Reynolds was appointed to the board of the NZ Transport Agency in a controversial reshuffle.{{Cite news |url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/117441122/ministers-fishy-wellington-dinner-during-nzta-board-appointment-process |title=Ministers' 'fishy' Wellington dinner during NZTA board appointment process |website=Stuff| access-date=8 January 2020}} Reynolds resigned from Greater Auckland to accommodate the move.{{Cite web |first=Patrick |last=Reynolds |url= https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2019/09/20/ma-te-wa/ |title=Mā te wā |date=19 September 2019 |website=Greater Auckland |access-date=8 January 2020}}