Nearly 90% of journeys made in Tauranga are taken by private motor vehicle. Emissions produced from transport is the largest contributor to climate change within our region. This presented the opportunity to establish the Shift Hub, an initiative focused on different modes of transport such as electric scooters, electric bikes, buses, and other environmentally friendly alternatives.

After a successful month-long activation in July 2023, the Shift Hub is going direct to businesses. Tauranga City Council(TCC) are currently developing their new office building, located at 90 Devonport in the Tauranga CBD. A Green Star rated building; it will have ample bike parking space with end of trip facilities available for staff to use. TCC wanted to engage with the Shift Hub to explore the alternative car free options that exist in Tauranga today.

Innovative industry

The Shift Hub was made possible through a collaboration with our local businesses and community. The hub experience was an interactive showcase of the alternative modes of transport available, we took this experience to the Tauranga City Council staff to understand what their options are.

We had several local businesses that provided an overview of their product, its benefits, what options might suit people differently and a range of items to view, touch and discuss.

We had Electrify.nz, UBCO, Beam, Farmer Autovillage and Travel safe providing an interactive session for staff to learn more about their product. Tauranga City Council are supporting their staff to mode shift through a number of incentives to support people to give mode shift a go.

Barriers to change

People want to change and there is a willingness from both businesses and individuals to contribute. In order to change, there’s no silver bullet. Collaboration and working together to address the key barriers such as weather, location, safety, and time are simple steps businesses can take with their staff today to understand what the options are. 

We know mode shift needs to work within people’s lives, a truly multimodal approach such as working from home, bike, bus, scooter or carsharing are options you can choose one day a week or even half! It doesn’t have to be 100% of the time.

If your business would like to discuss Shift Hub options for staff further, then get in touch with Sustainability Lead Marissa Nikora.