Nearly 30 children who believed they were heading out on a school outing to view art have been gifted new bikes and helmets instead.
The 28 children gathered at Fraser Cove shopping centre and were surprised by actor and comedian Mark Wright, who announced that through the New Zealand Retail Property Group (NZRPG) and Variety - the Children's Charity the would be able to each ride their very own bikes home.
The children, between the ages of 7 years old and 9 years old who either do not own a bike or whose bike is outdated, were nominated by local schools and community groups for showing leadership abilities or for their resilience under difficult circumstances.
General manager of marketing and communiccations at the property group Sara Johnson said that as the organisation grew, so did its committment to local communitys, "and especially to the children of the Bay of Plenty".
The partnership between the group and Variety saw almost $75,000 invested since 2016 to help children in communities surrounding the group's shopping centres and businesses. Part of this commitment to the community was gifting bikes to deserving kids from local schools, including Merivale School and Gate Pa School.