The bi-annual 2Walk&Cycle conference is being held in Palmerston North this year from 30 July to 1 August. Advocate registration costs are $385 and close this Friday 15 June. Spokes may help with some costs to attend this event but a decision has not been made yet. However, if people would like to attend the Advocate rate is quite a saving. Travel and accommodation also need to be factored in.

Spokes spent a large portion of their available funds on meeting half the costs of 5 delegates to the APCC conference in Christchurch last year. The support offered this year will depend on the number of applicants and the overall cost.

In 2018, the biennial 2WALKandCYCLE conference will be held in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Like many other regional cities in New Zealand, Palmerston North has been working to make better use of their roading network, in a way that balances the needs of all users. Under the umbrella of a Sustainable City Strategy, it has been working to increase public transport use, encourage more walking and cycling for commuting and school trips, and shift to a more environmentally sustainable transport system that caters for the needs of an ageing population. Alongside investment in city centre infrastructure, Palmerston North has important connections with the surrounding region. A new active transport bridge over the Manawatu river will be constructed during 2018, linking the city with Massey University. The Manawatu Riverside Walkway has captured the imagination of locals and is also part of Te Araroa, the long-distance walking trail.

The theme for 2WALKandCYCLE 2018 is 'Moving Towards Healthy Communities'. International and national researchers and practitioners will speak about the methods, policies and programmes they have used to promote walking and cycling, with a focus on ways that active, human-powered transport can help achieve the goal of healthier, smarter and more liveable cities.

2WALKandCYCLE 2018 will showcase ways to enable us to achieve this goal, and will inform our journey towards transport systems for the future. It will re-examine the balance between competing demands for space and resources, and ways to rebalance our transport system to better provide for walking, cycling and public transport.

The conference will be attended by engineers, town planners, architects, academics, politicians, advocates and others from a broad range of organisations such as local and central government, consultancies, health, universities and advocacy groups.