Guy Coulson for Stoke-Tāhunanui

Vote Guy #1
Nelson City Council
Stoke-Tāhunanui ward

Nelson

A thriving sustainable environment and economy

My key aim if elected is building a sustainable future for our community, focusing on environmental and business sustainability, both of which are at the heart of a thriving community.

Having spent a long time in environmental research and management and working with many local and central government entities, I feel that I have a good understanding of many of the key problems facing our region. I am now also a small business owner and able to understand the drivers and barriers for local business. I am in a position to bring my experience to the benefit of the people of Nelson, so consider it time for me to return something to the people of my adopted home.

How to achieve a sustainable future

Economies don’t exist in a vacuum; they need thriving communities and healthy environments (both built and natural) to truly flourish. Which is why I intend to support business by helping to provide the conditions they need – flourishing town centres in Stoke and Tāhunanui as well as Nelson city centre, with excellent transport links, affordable housing, clean air and water.

Policies and initiatives that I would like to pursue include

promoting active and low emissions transport options by enlarging the cycle network, funding increased public transport and parking for low emission vehicles

develop sustainable planning initiatives that include urban densification and avoid sprawl onto flood plains and valuable farming land

support long-term planning for Stoke and Tāhunanui centres to improve infrastructure and transport links

support initiatives that reduce the cost of living and improve wellbeing such as community gardens, active transport and composting

implement the Nelson Climate Change Strategy

improve air quality by renewing the Nelson Air Plan, which was last updated in 2008 and encouraging a move to clean heating

provide support to nelson business to meet sustainability goals

lobby for a full nelson hospital rebuild at central government level

lobby central government to increase EV charging network

renew the Tahunanui reserve management plan, which was last updated in 2004.

About me

My wife, Esther, and I moved to Aotearoa from the UK with our daughters Ailsa and Freya, in 2005. We lived in Auckland for 15 years where we were active members of a local mountain club, volunteered at the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary and I was a youth football coach, including being an accredited NZ-Football Referee. having moved to Nelson five years ago, we are members of local tramping clubs, Forest and Bird and are becoming more involved in conservation. Esther is an agriculture teacher at a local secondary school and leads the school’s EnviroGroup. We are both in the third year of learning Te Reo Māori at NMIT allowing better insight into the culture of Aotearoa and engaging with other members of the community.

I’ve managed science and scientists for twenty years and been in environmental research for over forty - including twenty five years as a researcher in atmospheric chemistry and air quality, and six years as an environmental and technology management consultant. This has given me a wide range of experience in management, governance, community engagement and government policy.

I have a PhD in atmospheric chemistry from the University of Essex, an MSc in environmental assessment from Anglia Ruskin University and a BSc in chemistry from the University of Bradford. I previously worked as a researcher at NIWA, the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Essex and as a consultant at Arthur D. Little and Cambridge Consultants.

I’ve been in the Environment industry most of my working life one way or another. During my time I’ve done most of the jobs, I’ve built footpaths, managed nature reserves, advised multinational corporations on their environmental liability and consulted on Environmental Management Systems. I’ve worked on fuel-cell power systems for cars and ships and the economics of photovoltaic production.

Most of my time, however, has been in research; reconstructing historical climates from Antarctic ice cores, investigating air-snow exchanges of pollutants in the Arctic and the atmospheric processing of pollutants in remote and rural regions. For the past twenty years I have concentrated on understanding urban pollution and creating and managing New Zealand’s most experienced team of air quality researchers, first at NIWA and now with The Air Quality Collective. For twenty years in Aotearoa, I’ve worked with central and local government on development and implementation of air quality management plans and policies. For example, I recently advised the Ministry for the Environment on the implications of the latest World Health Organisation guidelines for air quality, I was a member of the expert advisory panel for the Ministry of Education on COVID 19 in schools and have advised many regional councils on air quality management. I sit on several international scientific committees or boards.

Much of my research in Aotearoa included engaging with members of the public and community groups over air quality monitoring and good practice for woodburning.

When I’m not working, I’d rather be climbing mountains.

Get in touch:
As your councilor, I want to be a representative for everyone, so let me know what's important to you.
guy@guycoulson.org
021637033

Authorised by Guy Coulson