Blog

Term one provides a great start to 2018!

During term one there were many wonderful openings events at schools all across over New Zealand. Well done to all the schools, their many supporters, and especially their generous funders who all worked together to make these projects happen.

Some of the new schools are

Glenavon School, Auckland:

May Road School, Auckland:

Bledisloe School, Napier:

Cotswold School, Christchurch:

PHOTO Gilbert Wealleans

Makara Model School, Wellington:

Term four 2017 saw even more children biking at school!

Term four 2017 was a very busy time with a lot more children around the country now having regular access to bikes and bikes tracks at their schools.

Recent openings included Allandale School in Whakatane,

Royal Oak School in Auckland,

and Cambridge Primary School!

  

Pinehaven School in Upper Hutt put out an excellent end of year Christmas Bike Track video to finish the year!

Here’s to a great 2018!

The perfect start for term three 2017

Term three started with the much-awaited bike track opening at Ranui School. It is thanks to many different and generous supporters and funders that the children at Ranui School now have a wonderful fleet of bikes to ride (with their new helmets) on their very own school bike track.

The opening was also an opportunity to celebrate that Ranui School is the 25th Bikes in Schools project to be completed in Auckland. It was great to have so many special guests there, especially the team from Auckland Transport who have supported Bikes in Schools right from the very first Auckland school.

The sun shines down as the kids experience the riding track for the first time!
Plenty of bikes and helmets—let’s go!

Congratulations to everyone who helped make this happen for the children at Ranui School!

Our Lady of the Rosary School’s amazing new bike track

After much planning and fundraising Our Lady of the Rosary School in the Waiwhetu community (Lower Hutt) recently opened their wonderful new bike track. Following an amazing opening ceremony by the school and its pupils, the track was blessed and then it was all go for riders both young and old alike.

Principal Karolina Surynt-Tapiki said the new facility was just fantastic and learning to ride a bike would be a skill the students would have for life as well encouraging healthy lifestyles and teaching children how to stay safe.

The project was funded by a number of funders including a grant from the NZ Transport Agency.

Gate Pa School’s New Bike Tracks gets Ministerial Approval

The two new bike paths at Gate Pa School in Tauranga have now been officially opened. The top track provides a mostly flat ride around the school’s main field while the bottom track is a more challenging MTB type ride through some beautiful native bush complete with a stream.

The project, which was the vision of the principal Richard Inder, was made possible with the help of many different groups including the Tauranga City Council, Higgins, Tauranga Rotary and Container Co. The school also received a grant from the NZ Transport Agency’s Bikes in Schools Fund. 

In addition to the tracks, the schools has 50 new bikes and helmets as well as a converted shipping container to store the bikes in. 

Following his lap around the top track, the Minister of Transport and local MP, Simon Bridges gave his vote of approval. 

A First for Tokoroa

Following a blessing by local Kaumatua Homai Uerata, the very excited students at Tokoroa Central School got to ride their 50 new school bikes around their beautiful 400m bike track. The school also has a converted container to store their school bikes in.

After deciding back in 2015 that this was a project that the BOT, Principal and school’s staff wanted, and a lot of hard work, Tokoroa Central is the first school in town to implement Bikes in Schools.

Congratulations to the school and everyone who supported them along the way.

Bike riding is all go at Firth Primary School

Thanks to the vision and a lot of work by the Principal, staff and BOT the first Bikes in Schools project in Matamata is now all go at Firth Primary School. With beautiful sunny weather, the opening event started with an official blessing and a few short speeches followed by the important cutting of the ribbon. The school’s Kapa Haka group and choir then both did lovely performances. 

Special guests and visitors were then invited to ride the school’s new bikes around the school’s bike track along with some students.

A big thank you to the local businesses and funders who very generously supported the school and helped make the project a reality for all the students at Firth Primary School. 

Party time at Terrace End School

It is now all go at Terrace End School with the opening of their Bikes in Schools project.

The school is one of the first three lucky schools to benefit from Palmerston North City Council grants of $50,000 that are speeding up the roll out of the programme across the town.

 

 

 

As well as a great pump track and skills track, the school has a wonderful asphalt track around the edge of the school grounds which is perfect for bikes, scooters and feet.

 

 

 

In addition to the wonderful support and funding from Palmerston North City Council the school has also had help from a number of other organisations including the Eastern and Central Community Trust, Sport Manawatu, MidCentral DHB, the Police and Rotary.

Some research into the project is also being done by Massey University.

 

 

 

All go at the opening event for Gonville School, Whanganui

Great to have the first school in Whanganui up and running with their wonderful Bikes in Schools project. Well done to the BOT, Principal and staff at Gonville School and everyone who has supported them along the way. This includes, Whanganui Community Foundation, Powerco Trust, Sport Whanganui, Whanganui District Council, New Zealand Transport Agency, MOE, Citi Containers, St John’s Landscaping, Whanganui Police and Velo Ronny’s Bicycle store.

 

 

 

 

Great to have the Mayor Hamish McDouall, Olympic cyclist Greg Anderson and other guests all riding around the wonderful new tracks with the students.

The local pre-school also came along to test out the track.

Wonderful Hampton Hill School opening!

Pupils zip around the newly opened riding track
Pupils zip around the newly opened riding track

Congratulations to everyone involved in the official opening of the new WCC Bikes in Schools project at Hampton Hill School in Wellington. It was a wonderful event with beautiful singing by the students and excellent speeches about some of the really positive outcomes resulting from the students being able to ride their new bike tracks at school. Very exciting.

Hooray - the cutting of the ribbon!
Hooray – the cutting of the ribbon!

Once the ribbon was cut it was great to have the Mayor and councilors whizzing (or was it racing?) around the track with the students. Lots of fun and great smiles.

A huge thank you to Wellington City Council for making this all possible with their generous funding and support that helps three Wellington schools each year to implement a Bikes in Schools project.

Applications are still open for the next round of funding. See here.