Emily Rides: A Community Commute Story

Meet Emily – professional director, general manager of Climate Club, avid gardener, and someone who gets around Auckland on two wheels.

Emily isn’t just a passionate advocate for climate action in her professional life – she lives it. As a director on two charity boards and one commercial board, Emily travels across Auckland (and even to Wellington) by bike. Whether she’s heading to a board meeting in Wynyard Quarter, Penrose, or hopping on the train to the capital, her e-bike is her go-to.

"I honestly bike everywhere," she says. "Even when I bought two lime trees for my garden, I just popped one in each pannier and biked them home."

Her story is a reminder that every day trips,  even ones involving gardening supplies, don’t need to mean car keys and traffic. From Bunnings runs to climbing and sailing adventures, Emily’s bike takes her where she needs to go, quickly and reliably.

"My favourite thing about commuting by bike is the reliability of timing. I know regardless of how much traffic there is, I’ll get to my board meetings and other commitments on time."

And it’s not just practical. For Emily, biking is a joyful, and cost effective way to move through the city.

"It’s so much cheaper. I’ve saved so much money by investing in an e-bike as my primary vehicle. And it’s a really fun way to travel around."

That doesn’t mean it’s all smooth riding. While Auckland’s cycling infrastructure has improved, Emily points out that there are still gaps in safe, separated cycleways. “Almost everywhere I go now, there are protected cycle ways or a bus lane… but we need to keep building on that,” she says.

When biking isn’t an option, she turns to car-pooling, another low-carbon choice that brings unexpected benefits. “A few months back, we had a board event further out which was hard to get by bike. I ended up car-pooling with a different director for each part of the journey, which gave us the chance to connect more informally.”

And yes – she shows up to her board meetings in style.

"I rock up in my blazer and high-vis to board meetings, which I think sets the tone for the type of ideas I bring to the table."

Emily’s commute is more than just a way to get from A to B. It’s a lifestyle. And it’s proof that biking – whether for business or lime trees – can be smart, efficient, and a whole lot of fun.