Every Kiwi kid, riding a bike at school.
We help schools across New Zealand set up a complete Bikes in Schools package: bikes, helmets, bike tracks, secure storage, and cycle skills training, all on-site.
What is Bikes in Schools?
A complete package
The school owns a fleet of bikes, helmets, and tracks, all on-site. Every child can ride during the school day, not just those with a bike at home.
Built into the school day
Teachers incorporate riding into the curriculum. No special trips or transport. Kids walk out the door and ride. Low input for staff, high output for students.
Everything included
Bikes, helmets, tracks, secure storage, and cycle skills training. Around $400 per child one-off, with funding support available from councils and funders.
Why Bikes in Schools?
In 1990, Kiwi kids biked 28 minutes a week. Today it's under 5 minutes, and many don't ride at all.
Bikes in Schools puts a complete biking package on school grounds so every child can ride, not just those with a bike at home. Principals report more confident, active students.
Impact, nationwide
Every school day, kids who might never ride otherwise are out on bikes, helmets, and tracks built right into their school grounds.
Explore the map200,000+
students with regular bike access
400+
schools with a project
2010
the year we started
Explore the guide
Everything you need to plan, build, and run a Bikes in Schools project. The school owns all the bikes and helmets, and the tracks are built on school grounds. See it in action on our YouTube channel.
Start here
What a Bikes in Schools project is and how to plan one.
Bikes
Choosing, sizing, and buying your bike fleet.
Helmets
NZ-standard helmets, fitting, and shared vs individual sets.
Bike storage
Shipping container specs, fit-out, security, and siting.
Bike tracks
Specs and costs for riding, pump, and skills tracks.
Cycle skills training
Booking cycle skills training and finding a provider.
Costs and funding
Typical costs, funding sources, and Board approval.
Maintenance
Keeping bikes, tracks, and helmets safe year after year.
What people say
Principals, politicians, and world champion riders on Bikes in Schools.
“We think it is a great idea. It's a great way of introducing kids to bikes and making sure every young New Zealander gets an opportunity to learn to ride a bike ... and it's certainly going to help us get fitter, healthier, more engaged young people.”
Hon John Key
“The programme gives kids the chance to build confidence, stay active, and pick up key skills in a safe school setting before they head out onto the road.”
Hon Chris Bishop
“We're developing this national programme using very best practice, some of it home grown right here in New Zealand. We're leading the world with our Bikes in Schools programme.”
Hon Simon Bridges
“We know that cycle tracks have numerous benefits, including helping to develop safe cycling habits and building up confidence and fitness, I want to make it easy for schools that want to promote exercise to engage students in lifelong healthy habits that also help with their learning.”
Hon Nikki Kaye
“When I started riding at school it ended up crossing over towards my school work. Because I was getting better at BMX, I started getting better at school because it just gave me a lot of confidence, so I was happier and got better at everything really.”
Sarah Walker
“There's a significant number of students in our wider community who don't have access to bikes. This will increase levels of fitness of students.”
Ben Sincock
“We really see this resource as something that we can teach with in an ongoing way. We want to be able to link the bike track to some really worthwhile learning linked to the health curriculum and the social sciences — looking at how communities work together.”
Kaylene MacNee
“We're getting children to be active and helping increase their physical fitness and health, it will have huge benefits for the children. I hope they grow up to become cycling adults.”
Cindy Walsh
“It's been a wonderful community project and the kids are very excited. They've been using the first bike path before and after school and during interval but they've been dying to get on to the gully track.”
Richard Inder
“Most of our kids do not have their own bike at home and they're incredibly excited about the track and their new wheels.”
Russell Burt
“We are delighted and very grateful for Bikes in Schools' support for this important recreation and sport programme.”
Michelle Jadoo
“The school's fantastic new bike track is inspiring the children to get their legs and hearts pumping.”
Rob Posthumus
“We are so happy. It has been a huge collective effort to get this finished and the kids love it.”
Billie-Jean Potaka-Ayton
“We're also investing in Bikes in Schools to enhance delivery of the cycleway programme and make cycling more accessible for school children. So far we have contributed to 30 urban schools, reaching nearly 10,000 students.”
Hon Simon Bridges
Planning a Bikes in Schools project?
Our guide covers everything: bikes, helmets, tracks, storage, training, costs, and funding. It's free, and so is our advice.
