Over 14,000 Kiwis set their wheels in motion

6 March 2018

Over 14,000 Kiwis set their wheels in motion in Aotearoa Bike Challenge

The second national Aotearoa Bike Challenge has encouraged thousands more New Zealanders to cycle, with more than 14,300 people from over 1,600 organisations taking part, including over 2,600 new riders.

Throughout the month of February participants made more than 159,000 trips by bike, cycling an impressive 2,156,800 million kilometres in total.

The Aotearoa Bike Challenge is a partnership between the NZ Transport Agency and global organisation Love to Ride. The challenge encourages New Zealanders to make everyday trips by bike, with one 10-minute ride enough to give them the chance to win some great prizes while feeling the benefits of cycling.

“It was great to see so many New Zealanders committed to getting on their bikes this February,” says NZ Transport Agency Senior Manager System Design, Brett Gliddon.

“The challenge is an opportunity for more New Zealanders to experience just how easy it is to incorporate cycling into everyday life and its benefits as a transport option. Getting about by bike is great for your health and wellbeing, it supports communities, often is an efficient way to get around our towns and cities, and for many Kiwis who choose to ride to work, it’s a great way to start and end your day.”

To get more New Zealanders to give cycling a go, workplaces across the country were encouraged to sign up for the challenge and to motivate staff to take part.

Trade Aid Development and Education Manager, Michelia Miles, said the Aotearoa Bike Challenge was a valuable initiative for staff to take part in.

“As an organisation, we feel it is important to encourage our team to get involved in initiatives that benefit their wellbeing and the environment. The Aotearoa Bike Challenge was so fun and easy. It increased staff motivation and built stronger connections amongst the team.”

Fitting cycling in to your everyday routine doesn’t have to be difficult, says Michelia.

“As a mother with a young family I often find it hard to fit in exercise but taking part in the Aotearoa Bike Challenge was an easy way for me to get moving regularly as it only took a 10-minute bike ride to take part.

“Because of the challenge, I’m now getting at least three hours of exercise into my mostly sedentary week. It’s a win-win for both me and the environment, and a habit that I definitely plan on keeping up for the rest of 2018!”

To give riders an extra incentive, there were great prizes up for grabs. The Wattwheels e-bike was won by Elle Heike from Victoria University of Wellington; and the Avanti e-bike was won by Ross Stanley from Xero in Auckland. Hundreds of other prizes including cycling gear, books and vouchers were awarded to participants throughout the challenge.

Results from the Challenge:

Place Company Region Percentage of staff cycling
2000+ staff
1. Beca New Zealand 16%
2. Christchurch City Council Canterbury 8.7%
3. University of Auckland Auckland 5.6%
500 – 1999 staff
1. Tonkin + Taylor New Zealand 35%
2. Greater Wellington Regional Council Wellington 20%
3. Palmerston North City Council Manawatu 17%
200 – 499 staff
1. Beca Christchurch Canterbury 41%
2. Warren and Mahoney New Zealand 32%
3. Meridian Energy Christchurch Canterbury 30%
50 – 199 staff
1. Laura Fergusson Trust Wellington 82%
2. Mercury Rotorua Bay of Plenty 70%
3. Tonkin + Taylor Wellington Wellington 69%
20 – 49 staff
1. Harbour Sport Auckland 100%
2. Tonkin + Taylor Nelson Nelson 100%
3. TDG Auckland Auckland 100%
7 – 19 staff
1. Southern
Institute of Technology Early Childcare Centre Southland 100%
2. Vivian Medical Centre Taranaki 100%
3. St John Gisborne Gisborne 100%
3 – 6 staff
1. Mosgiel Central Kindergarten Otago 100%
2. Warren and Mahoney Tauranga Bay of Plenty 100%
3. Van Dyck Fine Foods CRM Team Taranaki 100%

View all results from the 2018 challenge.

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