Jo Draper

Jo applies her transport expertise to support private and public sector clients as they navigate their way through the land development process.

About Jo

Jo was born in New Zealand but grew up and studied mostly in the UK. She gained an honours degree in geography at the University of Bristol after which she worked for seven years in Reading and Bristol as consultant transport planner.  She worked on large residential development consents for private sector clients as well as supporting public sector clients with their district planning. She formalised her skills, by picking up a Master’s degree in Transport Planning at the University of Leeds. Studying at Leeds sparked an interest in price tensions in transport and their influence on travel behaviour. This has led to ongoing studies in this area, including, years later, winning the Engineering NZ Transportation Group study award into road pricing.

After a year travelling the world, she returned to New Zealand to live and work in 2010. Settling in Wellington, Jo worked for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi for eight years leading the investigation stages of major transportation projects, using project management smarts and engagement with stakeholders to get results. She wrote the strategic case for Te Ara Tupua (the Petone to Ngauranga cycleway) and led the Ōtaki to North of Levin Expressway, SH58 upgrades and the Petone to Grenada Link Road. She is proud to have shepherded the Waterfall Road project from conception to construction completion within 12 months – it can be done!

From 2017 to 2022 Jo was based in Abley’s Auckland office, leading a team of dedicated professionals. From 2022 she has been based in our Wellington office helping to establish our presence and build our client base. Jo was a key member of the Let’s Get Wellington Moving StepChange consortium, and now heads up the Transport Planning & Development service line within Abley.

Jo is a founding committee member of the Transport Planning Society Aotearoa – a branch of the UK based Transport Planning Society, which has recently introduced the Transport Planning Professional qualification into New Zealand through a pilot scheme. She was the first member of the NZ pilot scheme to successfully obtain the Transport Planning Professional accreditation in September 2023 and now works to help others through their application process.