About Us

Taith (pronounced “t-eye-th”) is the Welsh word for “journey”. Every person, community, organisation and nation is on a journey to deliver a safe, healthy and environmentally sustainable future. The gap between where we are now, and where we need to be, can often appear daunting. But with the right partners by your side, the journey can be one of learning, discovery and success.

We work across New Zealand and the rest of the world. We can support clients both remotely and face to face; and are always interested in exploring new places and the challenges they face.

We focus on all aspects of environmentally sustainable transport planning – from concept through to delivery. Using the principles and practice of systems thinking, we offer unique insights and solutions that enable our clients to anticipate risks and deliver benefits to customers. We have particular experience in public transport system planning – including buses, trains and light rapid transit. We also have strong capability around integration of transport and place-based planning, both in urban and rural areas.

To complement our technical capability, we can offer the full range of advisory services – including business case development, project & programme management & assurance, stakeholder engagement, investment prioritisation, robust governance, monitoring & evaluation and training. As a small consultancy with very low overheads, clients can be confident that investment in our advice represents value for money and works hard to deliver beneficial outcomes.

OUR PRINCIPLES

Our people

James Llewellyn
MANAGING DIRECTOR

Taith is jointly owned and run by James Llewellyn, a transport planning and management professional with over 25 years’ experience. James has qualifications in:

Politics – BA Hons, Durham University.
Transport Planning & Management – MSc, University of Westminster.
Systems, Learning & Leadership – Post Graduate Certificate, Bristol University.

James started his transport planning career in January 1996, working for a small consultancy in Milton Keynes. Since then, he has worked for large private consultancies, the United Kingdom and New Zealand governments, and a number of local councils. Most recently James was Transport & Urban Planning Manager at Bay of Plenty Regional Council in Tauranga.

James has experienced the full spectrum of transport planning – from data collection and traffic modelling through to strategy development and delivery. James is a hugely passionate advocate for walking and public transport - and uses buses, coaches and trains as his default modes for longer distance travel. James therefore gets to live and breathe the public transport customer experience, and how it can be made much better.

James has worked as a senior advisor to local and national politicians and officials in the UK and New Zealand, and has significant experience of complex governance, stakeholder and management challenges.

He can combine technical excellence with sharp political antennae.

James is always happy to talk to new and existing clients. He can be readily contacted on +64 (0) 22 042 0252 or on email.

EMAIL JAMES

SEE JAMES' EXPERIENCE

Carolyn Lavin
DIRECTOR

Carolyn is a qualified social worker who is now the engine room behind Taith. Carolyn deals with the day to day running of the business, including administration and finance.

Carolyn is a strong people person, and volunteers to write life biographies for people in palliative care at a local hospice. She was previously trustee of a charity for 10 years, during which time a school and community centre were funded and constructed in a small village in Southern India.

You can reach Carolyn directly using the link below.

EMAIL CAROLYN

Our principles

Thinking you'd like to work with Taith? Here are a few principles that we do our best to live and work by along the journey together.

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

Our advice is unbiased and evidence-based.
We will not accept work if we don’t have the capacity or capability to successfully deliver it.
We will examine all options, and clearly set out the pros and cons of each.
We help you to make decisions, but don’t make them on your behalf.
We provide trusted advice and will be by your side when you face your most serious challenges.
We listen, understand and learn for the future.

WE CARE ABOUT PEOPLE

People are the lifeblood of each and every organisation; and if we don’t look after them our future goals won’t be successfully achieved. Taith is a people-business, and we embrace the challenge of working with:

Employees at all levels of an organisation.
Politicians and senior leaders.
Key stakeholder groups.
Other suppliers and consultants.
Individual customers.
We have but one rule – we talk with people, never down to them.

WE CARE FOR PLACES

A sense of place is one of the traits that humans value the most, even if they don’t always realise it. At Taith, we are not just excited by transport and movement; we want to work with organisations and communities to deliver safe, healthy, secure and sustainable places. When we work in place, we get to know it – the good, the bad and the beautiful. We take the time to walk around, observe and listen. If we leave a place for new challenges, we want to help leave a positive legacy for the people who live there.

WE CARE FOR THE PLANET

We only have one planet, and it is in real trouble. At Taith, we are strongly committed to working with like-minded people who want to change travel behaviour and create places where a car is chosen as the mode of last resort. We strongly believe that walking and cycling are the cornerstone of local transport and place-making; and that public transport can be a force for good in local communities. We are
interested in how sustainable and renewable energy systems can be harnessed to reduce pollution at source – not just greenhouse gases but all of the pollutants that threaten the health of people, animals and plants.

WE'RE A LEARNING ORGANISATION

At Taith, we admit we don't know it all. Our journey is one of continual learning, reflection and future action – which both benefits ourselves and (most importantly) the people we work with. With a firm nod to Peter Senge, we continue to practice and develop:

Systems thinking - understanding the overall structure of social organisations, transport networks, places, economies and environments; and discovering the interconnectedness of all their elements.
Personal mastery - a commitment to personal growth and self-awareness; understanding the impact of our behaviour in the context of the group; and being willing to have our beliefs and values challenged and refined.
Mental models – we seek to uncover deeply ingrained assumptions and generalisations that influence how people understand the world; and reframing our minds for flexibility, learning and adapting enables overcome mental blocks, and helps us move to the vision of where we are going.
Shared vision – through interaction and discussion, a shared vision is achieved between people at all levels who are participating in the organisation’s goals – we seek to help leaders build common understanding and commitment to the vision.
Team learning - conversation, reflection, and inquiry in a team setting can build the foundation for a shared vision of change – we can help teams composed of diverse people to start “thinking together” and share experience, as the best way to find innovative solutions to problems.

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