Timo for Tasman
Councillor for Richmond Ward
I first approached the media in 2021 over NZTA’s removal of established street trees from Motueka’s High Street. In a bid to raise public awareness and to expose underlying issues, I have since featured in a number of articles and placed opinion pieces in various newspapers locally and New Zealand-wide. My topics generally cover urban development issues, but also climate change and tourism in New Zealand. See below my media coverage over the years.
My Media Coverage
NEWS / ARTICLES
The case for neighbourhood design plans
Sep 23 2024
OPINION: It might sound really odd, coming from an urban designer, but I agree with Housing Minister Christopher Bishop on this: we need to remove development risks and unnecessary costs from urban intensification. (…)
PC29 ‘causing anguish’ – residents rally for sunlight in hearing
Sep 04 2024
If there’s one thing Nelsonians value above all else, it appears to be sunshine, and they will rally en masse to protect it.
Residents claim the city’s reputation as New Zealand’s (…)
Richmond South - fact or fiction?
Sep 01 2024
Timo Neubauer calls for their returement. (…)
Design needs to come before rules, plan change panel told
Aug 29 2024
The intent of controversial Plan Change 29 is good – but a lack of design could lead to poor quality housing, a Nelson City Council panel has been warned.
Two weeks of hearings (…)
NEWS / ARTICLES
Richmond South
Aug 24 2024
“Misinformation” is a serious charge. In times of Trumpian “alternative facts” and especially when my professional integrity is questioned, this accusation cannot go unanswered.
While I can comfortably substantiate every statement made in my article, it appears that deputy mayor Stuart (…)
Are we getting "Richmond South" by stealth?
Aug 12 2024
OPINION: In 2022, the Tasman District Council (TDC) engaged with the public on its idea of “Reimagining Richmond South”.
The results: residents reminded council that this area was actually called Hope. (…)
Controversy remains for housing density plan despite recommended changes
Jul 25 2024
Nelson’s proposed new housing density rules proved controversial amongst the community, and the council’s new suite of recommendations are no different. (…)
Next chapter for Plan Change 29
Jul 20 2024
OPINION: Nelson’s Plan Change 29 (PC29) thriller continues.
The City Council published the sequel to its consultation documents, its Section 42A reports, three weeks ago.
The action-packed title of this work, I have to (…)
NEWS / ARTICLES
Granny flat proposal ‘unlikely’ to affect Nelson’s density plans
Jul 03 2024
As Nelson overhauls its planning rules to cater for future population growth, a Government proposal to make it easier to build granny flats is receiving a mixed response. (…)
We subsidise suburbia. But should we invest in affordable housing instead?
Jun 23 2024
OPINION: New Zealand housing is expensive and Nelson Tasman is one of the priciest markets in the country. (…)
Tasman District Council needs to stop buy now pay later mentality
Apr 13 2024
OPINION: Tasman is a growing district. The way we provide for this growth has a significant impact on liveability, climate resilience and the economic sustainability of our district. (…)
Don’t sweat the small stuff when it comes to emissions savings
What Is The Future of Mapua?
Mar 01 2024
OPINION: I was looking forward to Tasman District Council’s Mapua Masterplan for Mapua. After the flawed piecemeal approach of the past, an integrated masterplan is just what the village needs to deal withthe various demands, growth prospects and the threats (…)
Unifying Our Councils Could achieve so much more than just saving money
Jan 31 2024
OPINION: I agree with the Mayor of Nelson, Dr Nick Smith, that we should consider amalgamating Nelson City and Tasman District Councils. Nelson’s urban economic area stretches from Wakefield (…)
How to turn Nelson's unhealthy doughnut into a nice bun
Nov 11 2023
OPINION: Retailers in Nelson’s city centre are struggling. There is stiff competition for the spending power of our region’s residents and visitors from car-focussed, easy-to-access Richmond mall. (…)
Can we intensify Nelson without a design?
Oct 23 2023
OPINION: Plan Change 29 appears to divide Nelson in two camps: proponents of intensification, and those who are worried about the physical effects that such policy might have on established residential properties and the future look and feel of our town. (…)
Medium-density housing model debated
Jul 21 2023
A Tasman-based urban designer says the Nelson-Tasman region has one of the most unaffordable housing markets in the country and needs a better model for intensification similar to the two or three-storied neighbourhoods in Europe. (…)
Motueka's tree removal exposes outdated, contradictory thinking, says urban designer
Jun 17 2023
OPINION: It is official: Waka Kotahi, New Zealand’s Transport Agency, is not acting “unreasonably” when it shows contempt for best practice, disregards its own design guidelines and destroys our towns’ and cities’ unique character in the name (…)
Cutting down motueka trees deemed "not unreasonable" by ombudsman
Jun 07 2023
A Tasman urban designer is disappointed with the Ombudsman’s decision that Waka Kotahi’s felling of 13 trees on Motueka’s High Street in 2021 was not “unreasonable”.
Timo Neubauer, who (…)
Who does Tourism New Zealand actually work for?
Apr 28 2023
OPINION: Like most Qualmark-accredited tourism businesses, we have just received our first bill in a long time – our first ever, as we joined Qualmark during the Covid-19 fee-free period. Before that we simply deemed the fee too high for our family-run business. (…)
No to 'sausage flats' as group urges quality housing intensification
Mar 13 2023
Backyard housing intensification is a dead end, a flash flooding risk and lacks green space or privacy, say a Nelson architect and an urban designer.
Urban designer Timo Neubauer and architect William Samuels, who (…)
Housing plans make it impossible to meet carbon targets, groups say
Mar 11 2023
Climate groups are calling on the Environment Minister to investigate council housing plans they fear will put greenhouse gas (GHG) commitments beyond reach.
The groups said the Nelson City Council and Tasman (…)
Reimagining our future needs a radical rethink
OPINION: Are you feeling the pinch at the pump? The dramatic petrol price increases following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlight New Zealand’s vulnerability and our dependence on imported hydrocarbons. The bad news: High petrol prices are here to stay. (…)
Carbon tax isn't right-wing dogma - it's just simple common sense
May 13 2022
OPINION: Am I ultra-conservative and insensitive to social injustice, because I see carbon pricing as an essential tool for tackling the climate crisis? I generally don’t identify as right-wing (quite the opposite, actually) (…)
Urban sprawl in Richmond South the last thing Tasman needs
OPINION: Last week Tasman District Council pressed the button on developing a structure plan for Richmond South and Hope, paving the way for up to 2000 new Berryfields-style homes – more low density greenfield (…)
Auditor-General and Ombudsman action urged over High St Motueka
An experienced urban designer is calling on the Office of the Auditor-General and the Ombudsman to investigate after a “catastrophic loss of streetscape value” in Motueka. (…)
Urban designer calls for flyover option to be driven out of Richmond plan
A flyover should not be considered as an option to help manage traffic in and around rapidly growing Richmond, says experienced urban designer (…)
Tree felling in Motueka sign of 'silo thinking from the 60s'
Mature street trees were a vital component of an attractive streetscape and created a safer pedestrian environment. They worked like gates, signposting the town centre and made the street appear narrower, which led to slower (…)