Description
CANDo 2026: Quiet Revolution
Once a year, a special group of people come together. Their energy pedals us forward.
At CANDo, advocates, organisers, planners, and passionate riders from across the motu gather to connect, learn, and energise the national push for better biking.
CAN Do is the one weekend where you can recharge your passion, sharpen your advocacy skills, and join a nationwide network of people shaping a better cycling future for Aotearoa.
It’s where the conversations which pedal us forward happen.
Over one powerful weekend, you’ll dive into workshops, strategy sessions, and shared rides that sharpen your skills in messaging, campaigning, and community-building. But the real magic happens in the conversations — the chance to meet fellow advocates, exchange ideas, and build relationships that strengthen cycling advocacy nationwide.
Join us, and be part of the collective shaping a safer, healthier, more joyful cycling future for Aotearoa.
FAQs
- Do I have to be a CAN member to attend?
No, everyone is welcome.
- Who is CANDo for?
Advocates, community leaders, changemakers, researchers, organisers, communicators, those working in climate and urbanism, planners, and passionate riders from across the motu.
- What will I hear about?
Speakers from public policy and health research, as well as powerful voices from the media, and leaders of impactful community projects.
- Will it be fun?
Yes! There will be time for informal networking with peers from around the country, as well as fun in the form of group rides and evening social activities.
- What's the 2026 CANDo theme?
Quiet Revolution. It's a celebration of the steady, determined progress communities across Aotearoa are making for better biking - progress that continues even when national politics and media narratives push against it. It honours the advocates who keep showing up, building change street by street, conversation by conversation. Transformation doesn’t always arrive with fanfare - sometimes it grows quietly, powerfully, from the ground up.
Agenda
- 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Urban Nerds drinks
Drinks hosted by Urban Nerds Good George, Wynyard Quarter, 1 Jellicoe Street, North Wharf. goodgeorgenorthwharf.co.nz
- 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Guided group ride and lunch
Start at 9am at the Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Grey Lynn. These are cruisy, no-drop rides designed to for you to take in some of Auckland's newer cycling infrastructure and have plenty of time for chatting, coffee and lunch. One is 28km and heads out to the eastern suburbs; the other is 16km, loops around the inner West, taking in the new cycle paths in Pt Chev and Meola Rd. Some food eg fruit will be provided at the venue but this is a chance to have lunch with some fellow pedallers.
- 1:00 pm
Venue opens
- 2:00 pm - 4:45 pm
Formal welcome and presentations
2:00 PM Welcome Welcome and Introductions Clare Cudmore, Karen Hormann and Donna Wynd on behalf of Bike Auckland and Christopher Dempsey on behalf of CAN. 2:30 PM Christine O’Brien Engaging With Your Local Board Christine O’Brien will talk about moving cycling and active transport projects along from the perspective of a Local Board / Community Board member. Christine has had considerable experience on the Māngere–Ōtāhuhu Local Board, including serving as Deputy Chair. She has been active in making Māngere the cycling capital of Auckland. 3:15 PM The Auckland Update There’s a lot happening in Tāmaki Makaurau. We’ve had new cycling projects come on stream against a background of legislative change. Karen Hormann and Donna Wynd will discuss some of those changes and how they might impact cycling in Auckland in the future. 4:00 PM Strategies for Change Break into groups to discuss strategies for making the best use of scarce resources, and using our contacts and each other to help bring about change. 4:45 PM Wrap up for the day
- 5:00 pm
Dinner and drinks at Ponsonby Central
- 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Welcome to day 2 and presentations
8:00 AM Doors open 9:00 AM Introduction to the day 9:10 AM Lennart Nout The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Where to from Here? After working and living in The Netherlands for almost 10 years, Lennart will share his unfiltered opinions on the latest generation of Auckland cycleways and most importantly, where to from here? A bit of fun, a bit of cringe and a bit of inspiration for cycling advocates around the country. 9:40 AM Richard Hamer Small Town Cycling: The work of Bike Whakatane Trust and friends Richard Hamer is a Community Development Specialist and Cycle Coach and Assessor, and trustee of the Bike Whakatane Trust. He has helped organise hugely popular bike activations like Ride the Runway. Richard’s talk will focus on providing an overview of what Bike Whakatane does, our why and how, and partners. 10:10 AM Morning tea 10:40 AM Louise Tu'u Who is a real cyclist? Louise Tu’u works as an actor and writer, both onstage and onscreen with over 20 years of experience. She will share how using her creative practice informs her cycling advocacy in South Auckland, with projects such as Brown Womxn Who Cycle, Find My Way and the benefits of being undercover. 11:00 AM Stephen Wood Personal Reflections on Advocacy and Community Stephen Wood has contributed to both Spokes Canterbury and Cycling Action Network. He covers the advocacy work of Spokes Canterbury, and various riding groups and communities he is involved in. He may also share his bike ride up to Auckland from Wellington, and the recent Trafinz conference. 11:30 AM Matt Fordham Change at the Speed of Trust - the Importance of Connecting Councils and Communities Matt Fordham founded and leads Crank, delivering projects which get more people to choose more trips by walking and cycling. Matt shares case studies about how changing our streets to enable more trips by bike depends on the strength of connection between councils and communities.
- 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Lunch
- 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Final speaker
1:00 PM Dr Tim Welch Born to Ride: The Revolution Rides With Us Dr Tim Welch, from the University of Auckland’s Future Cities Research Centre, has written widely on cycling and bike infrastructure. His talk looks at a quieter kind of revolution: the steady change that happens when we keep pedalling. Kids raised in the back seat learn to see cars as the only way to move. But when we put them on our bikes early and take them with us, something shifts. We don’t need to persuade them. We just need to ride with them.
- 2:00 pm - 2:20 pm
Afternoon tea
- 2:20 pm - 3:30 pm
Presentation of CAN priorities and workshop
- 3:30 am - 4:00 pm
Close and wrap up
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
