You do have the power to change things

When I was invited to come aboard and help with Greater Auckland a few months ago (thanks to Patrick!), it was suggested it might be a good idea to write some sort of autobiographical post by way of an introduction.

This post isn’t quite that – although I’m sure I’lll get to it eventually. Instead, what I want to discuss here is something I think is really important to understand.

We all have the power to change things

After the election in October last year, I made a parliamentary petition calling for surface light rail – which you can actually still sign. It was already pretty clear that whatever form the new government took, they would scrap the tunnel-focused ALR project, and it was also pretty obvious they’d be going back to focusing on giant motorways.

But what I also knew is this: we need better public transport in our city.

Was I a certified expert in transport? No. Did I know much about light rail? As much as any person who’s interested in and likes trams and public transport. I thought they were cool, and given Wayne Brown was a fan, it seemed like there was an opportunity to do something about it.

I did worry about not knowing enough, but the most important question I asked myself was:

If I didn’t do something, who would?

And that set off the last nine months of my life where, after linking up with a great group of people, we advocated our hearts out in all manner of ways for surface light rail.

We might not have magically cured Simeon Brown’s road obsession, or found a spare billion dollars in the Mayor’s back pocket, but what I think we succeeded at was keeping the idea of light rail in Auckland alive, when it otherwise was set to be dead and buried. It was immensely fulfilling work that led me to all sorts of places and people, and I feel it will be important sooner than you might think.

But I’m not special in this regard.

I just decided to do something and then started doing it. Anyone can do that. In fact, everybody can do something.

Everyone.

You don’t have to take just my word for it. Patrick said something similar in 2018, when he and Matt were interviewed on the Reinventing Transport podcast, and discussing how you might go about starting something like Greater Auckland. I’ve edited the quote slightly for clarity:

“…I would suggest starting with a real issue that you can grasp because you’re hoping to find your tribe online. And you can’t just put out a call, you’ve just got to start doing it…”

There’s a lot of wisdom in that sentence. And perhaps you have thought about doing something, say on a transport issue, especially given how cooked the government’s transport policy is, or really anything you might have concerns about.

But maybe you have some questions before you even get started. Like, what do you actually do? How can you achieve what you want?

Let me try to help unpack some of this.

Identify your goal… and then do something

What do you want to achieve? It needn’t be as huge as trying to save light rail. Maybe you’re someone who thinks it makes zero sense that it’s currently illegal for children to ride bikes on footpaths. Onehunga parent Shane Riddle thought so. Now they are doing something about it, and have made a parliamentary petition which already a few hundred people have signed.

Or maybe, like longtime reader Grant, you have an idea for how to improve Newmarket. So you write it down and send it to Greater Auckland, and now the idea is out there and being discussed, and this means someone could actually try to make it happen!

Whatever it is you care about, figure out what you want to see, get a vision in your mind, and just start doing something. Don’t worry about getting things perfect – it’s far more important to just start.

Lead with positivity and bring solutions

It’s good to know what your goal is and what you want changed, and it’s even more important to have an idea of the solution, a way to achieve the vision. The answer might be a law, or planning change. It might be a particular project or a series of projects.

You don’t have to have all the details worked out, but knowing what is needed to get to where you want to go, and having a scope of what’s needed, makes all the difference.

It’s genuinely amazing, the reaction people have when you come to them with tangible ideas and plausible solutions. Especially when you also bring a smile and positive attitude.

Caring about and having passion for something means that even if your solution isn’t perfect, people will want to listen and help.

Work out where the decision-making happens

So you’ve gotten started. Next, you want to figure out what and who needs to change to ensure a pathway to success.

It’s really important to know where the decision-making power for your goal resides. It might be Auckland Transport, it might be your Local Board. Maybe it’s Council, or Parliament. It could very well be amongst your neighbours and local community. It’s not always clear until you have started, but at some point you will need to identify this.

Then figure out what needs to change and how you could do this.

Maybe you want a bike lane, or to close your street to rat-running? Let’s say you started with a petition outlining the problem, your goals, and your solution. Take this and start talking to all your neighbours, community groups, schools, local businesses, and invite them to sign on. Some people will want to do more than just sign, they’ll want to get involved. Gather your signatures and welcome your new allies. And then, go speak to the decision-makers.

Maybe there’s a consultation happening about a project in your community, and it’s something you want to see happen. Go and express your views! There’s a plethora of projects to have your say online about, and if you can, take the time to go along and express your views in person.

Local board meetings, consultation drop-in sessions, and council meetings are all good places to show up and speak up! Trust me, oftentimes all these people hear are complaints, so being positive and solution-based is a breath of fresh air.

Find your friends (and they’ll find you)

To go back to, as Patrick put it, finding your tribe. Finding friends and allies is important, as no one does things alone. You could start with a call-out, but in fact what you will often find is that when you start by doing something,  people will come to you and want to help.

Especially if you are positive, especially if you are passionate – but only if you are doing something. Friends and allies? They help. And the fun thing about who you meet – odds are you’ll build meaningful connections and relationships that will enrich your life and bring you to places you never would expect.

Another good thing about finding your allies: when you’re working to make change happen, it is vital to be sustainable.

Sometimes change takes time, and it’s important not to burn yourself out. Be aware of what you can contribute, and what your limits are. Maybe it’s the time you put in, maybe it’s finances. Whatever it is, ensure you are taking care of yourself. It’s very easy to get sucked into something to an unsustainable degree.

But don’t let this put you off! Being aware of it just means you can do things in a healthy way. And the good thing when you find your friends and allies? Just like the old saying:

Many hands make light work.

Reach out – you’ll be surprised!

You never know who might want to help. It might be your neighbours. It might be local businesses. Maybe it’s existing advocacy groups, and likely it will be some politicians – and not necessarily the ones you first expect.

Put aside your prior assumptions. Don’t assume you already know what someone might think about what you’re doing; chances are they just haven’t given it much thought. Or haven’t been asked.

This is especially true when it comes to the political side. Regardless of your own opinions, reach out to your local board, your councillor or MP, whatever their stripe. Honestly, odds are you will be surprised what people’s views are, especially the more local you go.

While not everyone will support what you want to do, if you assume without asking then there is a far higher chance of that being the case. So whatever you think, be positive and give it a shot.

Just do it…

If you haven’t already worked it out, this is the most important piece of advice. Hopefully the rest helps give a framework and a starting place. Nothing will be perfect. Mistakes will happen. Nobody knows everything – and you will learn new things and more about what you have to do to succeed. As you go along, you’ll also figure out more about yourself and your skills, and you’ll meet wonderful people with knowledge and skills you don’t have.

But none of this will happen until you start doing.

…because you can make a difference

I’m sure everyone reading this post has something they want to change.

Maybe it’s an issue that’s been mentioned here on Greater Auckland. Maybe you’ve visited another city or country and experienced something that you wished we could have here. Maybe it’s an idea you’ve had while talking at the dinner table with friends and family. Maybe you’ve just been stuck in one too many traffic jams.

We all have things we think would be great for Auckland, or our neighbourhood, or for our friends or family. Whatever, whomever, and wherever you care about.

You have the power to change things. So why not do something about it?

Because if you don’t, who will?

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