Matt founded and leads Crank, bringing more than a decade of experience across sustainable buildings, transport, communication and community engagement. His approach has been shaped by his work and by years as a community advocate with Bike Pt Chev, where he helped grow school bike trains and local initiatives that got more people riding. Today, Matt works with councils, teams and communities to turn complex challenges into practical projects that people understand and support. He is particularly interested in community participation, faster project delivery and removing barriers to active travel. For Matt, better transport is ultimately about giving more people the freedom to move the way they want.
Maria has been a core part of Crank since its inception, leading and coordinating projects internally and for public sector clients, and contributing to the creation of reports, plans and industry handbooks. Maria currently supports Crank’s internal operations by looking after the team, resources and tools that keep things running day-to-day. She is interested in how to create, share and talk about places and spaces that make it easy to walk and cycle, contributing to a future where the environment and our tamariki can thrive. Outside of Crank, Maria volunteers for All Aboard, a non-profit organisation that works to improve how we move around.
Joni guides Crank's approach to helping people understand transport projects and have a meaningful say in them, from strategy through to delivery. With a background across placemaking, theatre and communications strategy, Joni brings curiosity and creativity to complex projects, making ideas clear, engaging and accessible. They have a strong interest in how streets and public spaces can work for different people, and in creating opportunities for people — especially young people — to feel informed, involved and empowered to choose more sustainable ways of getting around. Outside of Crank, Joni is a co-founder of Bike Pals, providing opportunities for queer people to build confidence and experience cycling through group rides and events.
Jenny brings a grounded, people-focused approach to project management, with a real strength in keeping complex projects moving while bringing people with her. She has extensive experience in consultancies across engineering, transport and urban design, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, council staff, community partners and other stakeholders. Jenny is particularly good at stakeholder management, building trust, creating clarity and navigating different perspectives. Her background across the private sector, government and education has shaped a collaborative, thoughtful leadership style. She combines strong organisation and delivery discipline with warmth and pragmatism, helping teams work well together and keeping projects focused on what matters.
Angie brings together urban planning expertise, community organising experience and a passion for making sustainable transport accessible to everyone. She has seen firsthand how better conversations can lead to better places when working with communities. With a resource consenting background, Angie has a talent for translating technical ideas into everyday language. Angie is both meticulous with systems, and compassionate with people. As a first-generation New Zealand-born Chinese person, she brings a deep appreciation for the diverse people that make Aotearoa unique — and the power of transport to connect people and places.
Nicole brings a community focus to engagement, working with local partners to turn project objectives into activities that are relevant, accessible and meaningful. She enjoys connecting with people, building rapport and creating welcoming experiences to encourage participation and positive connections with sustainable transport. Nicole works closely with community partners to lead the development and delivery of events and activations, bringing energy, warmth and a practical understanding of what makes engagement work in the real world. Alongside her work at Crank, she can be found fixing bikes or leading regular wāhine group rides in her local community.
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Maddy brings a practical, collaborative approach to engagement, with a particular strength in building trusted relationships with schools, families, volunteers and community organisations. Her background in sustainability, ecological education and regenerative practice shapes a hands-on style focused on participation, confidence and lasting local capability. She is skilled at bringing people together, creating welcoming ways to get involved, and turning community input into useful outcomes. Maddy also brings coordination skills and growing experience in project planning, balancing the detail needed to deliver well with an instinct for what will resonate with the people a project is designed to reach.
Simon has an extensive background working in the media across broadcasting and digital platforms. This experience gives him the ability to communicate effectively with the public and provide clear and concise communications to clients and locals alike. He turns technical information into easy to understand public communications and works with clients to inform and engage communities about the changes happening in their area. Simon is interested in making active and public transport accessible and enjoys riding his bike around Tāmaki Makaurau to talk with locals in areas where the streets are changing.
Val is passionate about communities, urban planning, design and the intersections between them. With design experience across Chile and New Zealand, she is system and data-driven, just as comfortable in a spreadsheet as she is across the Adobe suite. Val keeps people at the core of her work when designing collateral, experiences, and products, making them easy to navigate, responsive and efficient. Outside of Crank, Val volunteers at Aotearoa Latin American Community and is a co-founder of Bike Pals, which provides opportunities for queer people to build confidence and experience through group rides and events.
