Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Bike shop inundated with mask orders after online post

By Logan Tutty
Multimedia journalist·Whanganui Chronicle·
14 Aug, 2020 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Nicola Rennie has spent the last three days catching up on mask orders from locals. Photo / Bevan Conley

Nicola Rennie has spent the last three days catching up on mask orders from locals. Photo / Bevan Conley

After making some masks for their family and posting a photo online, a local bike shop has been inundated by orders from locals wanting some of there own.

The Bike Shed, owned by Doug and Nicola Rennie, began making masks last weekend after the Government told Kiwis to have some in their emergency kits to prepare for a resurgence of Covid-19.

"We have three kids so she made some for the family. She posted a photo on Facebook and all of a sudden there were all these messages and the phone didn't stop ringing," Doug said.

Nicola, who makes a lot of the silhouettes, bike seats, heads and cushions for the store, runs the one-woman operation from their home in St Johns Hill.

Once it was announced New Zealand would enter level 2 from Wednesday midday, the shop sold more than 70 masks before the day's end.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"As soon as we went to Level 2, it got crazy," Nicola said.

Doug said more people had been asking about masks than bikes.

"The masks are the thing at the moment. If we were to move into a higher level, the masks at some stage may become a mandatory thing," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"This is a preventative measure to stop any spread and that's what the mask is designed for."

Nicola wanted the masks to be accessible for all, and is charging $12 for each one.

Discover more

Whanganui attractions impressed winter visitors

10 Aug 05:00 PM

Whanganui moves to alert level 2

11 Aug 08:12 PM

High noon decision

13 Aug 05:05 PM

Letters: Whanganui locals deserve better

14 Aug 05:00 PM

"I have friends in Australia saying that I should be charging more. But if you're a family and you want to have a couple for each person, that quickly adds up," she said.

Each mask takes 15 to 20 minutes to make.

"It has shape to it. Some just wrap around, these fit over the nose and face a bit better."

Nicola has been working "basically around the clock" trying to catch up on orders and to assemble a decent stock heading into the weekend.

"The other night she was up until 1am. I rolled over and saw her sewing away," Doug said.

The masks can be made with various designs and patterns, which the Rennies hope will encourage people to be more open to wearing them.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The bonus is not everyone will be walking around with a white paper mask or a black mask, there are a lot of designs.

"If you can make kids' ones and make them keen on wearing something that looks cool, that's a good thing."

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Council officers back deconstructing St George's buildings

Whanganui Chronicle

How Whanganui achieved lowest property rates rise in NZ

Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui-based AI service features on world stage


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Council officers back deconstructing St George's buildings
Whanganui Chronicle

Council officers back deconstructing St George's buildings

'We’ve got a site earning minimal income for ratepayers, so we need to do something.'

14 Jul 04:59 AM
How Whanganui achieved lowest property rates rise in NZ
Whanganui Chronicle

How Whanganui achieved lowest property rates rise in NZ

14 Jul 04:21 AM
Whanganui-based AI service features on world stage
Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui-based AI service features on world stage

14 Jul 01:25 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP