The highly competitive Crankworx mountain bike world tour has just rolled onto Ngongotaha mountain in Rotorua for the 10th time and continues to draw in crowds by the thousands.
Meanwhile, Mountain Bike Rotorua owner and operator Tak Mutu from Ngāti Pikiao, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao,and Ngāti Whakaue saw a need to get more Māori involved in mountain bike riding since the world-famous forest tracks that attract riders from around the world are sitting right on their backdoor steps.
“When I was a young fella, there weren’t many Māori riding these tracks back then. We thought let’s change that demographic,” Mutu said.
Share the Ride Whānau is only one of Mutu’s kaupapa under Share the Ride, since he also runs Share the Ride Kura and Share the Ride Kirihimete.
Share the Ride is in its 10th year and teaches newcomers and beginners how to ride, and basic bike maintenance. At the end of the 10-week course participants are given a new mountain bike worth $1000
“We have about 20 participants a year on Share the Ride Whānau and it doesn’t cost them a thing including the mountain bike. All we want to do is to stop all barriers from getting whānau riding in their ngahere,” Mutu said.
‘Gets the kids off the phones and gaming’
Selina Rika and her son Eria, a student at Rotorua Boys High, and both from Te Arawa, were thankful to have been nominated by the community to be part of the programme.
“I hope to gain the skills as well as the confidence to ride with my son,” Rika said.
Eria Rika says he has a cousin who rides the trails “and soon I’ll be able to join him”.
Giant Bikes NZ provides equipment and bikes for the programme. There have been close to 200 participants in the Share the Ride Whānau initiative from its start 10 years ago, with 200 new bikes handed over worth in total about $200,000.
Kemp Winiata and his daughter Amara are part of the group. After Kemp watched his son and partner last year doing the course and saw how active they had both become getting off the couch and into the forests, he was only too happy to accept a nomination to join this year’s cohort.
“Great exercise, gets the kids off the phone and gaming and we can do it as a whānau,” Kemp said. “Now I don’t have to steal my big brother’s bike to go riding after I get my free bike. Man, it’s cool,” Amara said.
Crankworx spokesperson Rama Chadwick from Ngāti Tūwharetoa backed the whānau launching its first workshop at Crankworx and said all participants have been given free full access to all Crankworx events this week in Rotorua. “Share the Ride is something we support, we are a close nit community, and what Tak and his wife are doing to promote the sport, health, well-being, and positivity it’s a no-brainer to be on board with a kaupapa like this,” Chadwick said.
Mutu hopes to expand Share the Ride Whānau nationally, starting in Christchurch and Wellington.