Keynote presenters

Kevin Doherty

Monday, March 9 | 10:55am - 11:40am

Kevin Doherty is the Group General Manager Transport Services at NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), with over 30 years’ experience delivering major infrastructure projects across New Zealand and Australia. A civil engineer by background, he has held senior roles including Chief Infrastructure Officer at Auckland Transport and CEO of the Office of Projects Victoria.

Kevin has led key NZTA initiatives such as the Transmission Gully PPP and Pūhoi to Warkworth business case and played a pivotal role in City Rail Link procurement. Prior to his current role, he was Group Director at Beca overseeing a team of 800+ across the Asia-Pacific region. Widely recognised for his expertise in procurement methodologies and contractor relationships, Kevin is also known for his ability to build strong partnerships across government and industry—an essential focus in today’s infrastructure landscape.

presentation overview to come

Lauren Streifer

Tuesday, March 10 | 8:35am - 9:20am

Lauren Streifer is the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand (PTAANZ), the peak body representing the region’s major transport agencies, operators, and suppliers. Since her appointment in 2023, she has positioned PTAANZ at the forefront of policy, collaboration, and international exchange to shape the future of sustainable transport.

An experienced leader across transport, infrastructure, and international relations, Lauren has worked throughout Australia, the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. She previously led Streifer&Co, a consultancy building partnerships across government, infrastructure, technology, finance, and sport, and founded Skillsy, a nationally recognised initiative to develop the next generation of infrastructure professionals.

Her earlier executive leadership roles include serving as Executive Director of Roads Australia, where she drove unprecedented growth and collaboration, and created enduring industry programs such as the RA Fellowship Program. With a foundation in diplomacy and international relations, Lauren has also served at the Australian office of APEC, the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development in New Orleans, and the Australian Consulate-General in New York.

Lauren is recognised for her ability to convene senior leaders, build lasting partnerships, and champion the next generation of talent. She is also obsessed with Spain.

presentation overview to come

FIRESIDE CHAT WITH VIDA & PIPPA

Vida christeller

Tuesday, March 10 | 9:20am - 9:50am

Vida has almost 20 years of experience designing cities for people. The first part of her career was spent in Copenhagen where she worked on planning, designing and delivering urban regeneration and affordable housing projects.

In 2019, Vida returned home to Wellington and now leads the City Design Team at Wellington City Council, who are implementing the Council’s strategy for a sustainable, well-designed Wellington—supporting sustainable and integrated tactical transport / urban form planning, urban greening, public space and street upgrades, neighbourhood regeneration and affordable housing initiatives.

“I love cities. They are living organisms. Always changing and adapting. They are messy and emotional; there is no perfect finished state. The City Design team is privileged to be a key part of the change which Pōneke is currently in the midst of. Our City is evolving, moving from suburbs and a CBD designed to support the 1/4 acre dream to an urban hub, a dense and diverse city, nestled in the hills and surrounded by water and wind, with places, spaces and streets designed for people and nature to thrive.”

pippa mitchell

Tuesday, March 10 | 9:20am - 9:50am

Pippa is a public transport operations specialist and has over 20 years’ experience in public transport planning and delivery. This has included being the technical lead for the PT disruptions responses to Auckland’s rapid transit City Rail Link (CRL) works between 2015 and 2021. Recently, Pippa has been leading the Strategic Assessment for Translink's South East Queensland 10 year bus plan gaining a good understanding of the public transport network challenges and opportunities.

Pippa has also been the project lead or project director on a range of sustainable transport strategies and business cases for local and central government as well as infrastructure providers in New Zealand. For many of these projects she been the workshop facilitator drawing on her particular expertise in consultation and stakeholder engagement.

Pippa has skills that crossover between the analytic and social spectrum and brings a unique perspective to any project she works on. With a PhD that investigated the impacts of communications technologies on our experience urban environments her academic background provides her with a variety of research and communications skills as well as an alternative but complimentary perspective on projects.

Pippa is Managing Director of MRCagney, Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading sustainable transport consultancy where she leads a team of multi-disciplinary transport specialists across transport planning, urban design, economics, walking and cycling.

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW