Born 1966 in Germany, I have been interested in sustainable transport since my high school years.
In my mid-20s, I started tertiary study to become a traffic engineer and transport planner. Half-way through my undergraduate degree, my Kiwi girlfriend moved back to New Zealand. I followed her and finished my civil engineering bachelor’s degree at Canterbury in 1997.
I worked at Christchurch City Council from 1998 to 2005, for a couple of years in a part-time capacity to undertake a master’s degree from Canterbury on public transport systems. I have been self-employed since 2005 and my initial company, of which I have part-ownership, became ViaStrada in 2007. The company has a nationwide profile for sustainable transport. I am an innovator and a thought leader. I have commercial governance experience.
I’ve lived all over Christchurch since 1996, and in the central city since 2002, where I’ve always been on neighbourhood committees. I share my life with my wife Julie and two fur babies. I love tramping and getting out into the hills on my mountain bike. I’m fascinated by NZ political history, and I’m one of four Kiwi administrators on Wikipedia. I received my New Zealand citizenship on 5 June 2019 and gave up my German citizenship in the process.
The Christchurch Star published a detailed profile in June 2019.