Excitement at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hurungaterangi as 20 bikes donated and put straight to use

Twenty bikes were donated to Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hurungaterangi. From left, Tawhiri Perfect, 6, Amaia Edwards, 12, Crankworx Rotorua's Rama Chadwick and Hana Wikiriwhi, 13, Photo / Andrew Warner

It didn’t take long for helmets to be strapped on and for bike pedals to be whirring as Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hurungaterangi students tested out the school’s new donated bikes.

Twenty bikes were delivered to the kura on Tuesday afternoon by members of the Crankworx Rotorua and Mountain Bike Rotorua teams.

Rama Chadwick, Crankworx Rotorua commercial manager, says the bikes are in a range of sizes for kids aged 6 to 12 years, and originally came from event sponsor Tordepo7 for last year’s Kidsworx zone.

During the handover of the bikes, Rama said it felt amazing to be at the kura donating the bikes on behalf of Torpedo7 and Crankworx Rotorua. Thirteen helmets were donated by Mountain Bike Rotorua, who also had a mechanic check the bikes to make sure they were ride ready and safe.

He said Crankworx was an international mountain bike festival, being held in March this year, and that it included a zone called Kidsworx.

“One of our sponsors, Torpedo7, donated 20 bikes for us to use at Kidsworx last November with the idea of donating them post-festival to, a local community group that would appreciate them.

“We had a few recommendations, and I’m really glad I found my way to you Doug [wharekura kaiako], and we could make this happen today and see you all out here.

“We hope everyone enjoys the bikes.”

“It’s great to expose the kids to mountain biking, give them the chance to ride, and learn more about Crankworx happening in their backyard,” Rama told the Rotorua Weekender.

“Despite the massive growth of mountain biking in Rotorua, there’s still a lot of people in the local community who don’t have the opportunity to access mountain biking like others do, so any chance to share the sport and culture is amazing.”

Wharekura kaiako Doug Edwards says it feels heart-warming and humbling to receive this koha from Rama and the organisations involved.

“It will help open up a whole other world for these kids ... it’s awesome for them to have this opportunity.”

He says it has also got the kura thinking about doing programmes around biking.

Pihenga Takao, 17, says they felt good and grateful to receive the bikes, because it gave the students a new opportunity, and the teachers a chance to take them out on the bikes.

She says she used to be into riding when I was younger, and she would probably get back into it with the bikes being there at school.

Rama says Torpedo7 is donating another 20 new bikes for Crankworx Rotorua to use in the Kidsworx zone this March, and they are thankful for the continued support by Torpedo7.

The Kidsworx Arena is designed for children 12 and under (and their family) to get among bikes their own size. This zone offers demo bikes, daily activities, as well as extra coaching opportunities to help youngsters get in on the action.

The world of elite mountain biking will gather in Rotorua from March 18 to 26 to take part in the first stop of the 2023 Crankworx World Tour.

The event will feature a line-up of international athletes, as well as some of the best local and national mountain bike riders from New Zealand.

This year’s stacked schedule will include the first live broadcast of the RockShox Taniwha Downhill on Sunday, March 19 from the free-to-access Whakarewarewa and Titokorangi Forests, followed by five more days of action at Skyline Rotorua from Wednesday, March 22 to Sunday, March 26.

This five days of action includes the Official New Zealand Whip Off Championships, Dual Slalom Rotorua, Crankworx Rotorua Air DH, Crankworx Rotorua Pump Track Challenge presented by Torpedo7, Speed & Style Rotorua and Maxxis Slopestyle in Memory of McGazza, along with Kidsworx and an expo.

– The full schedule of events can be found on the official Crankworx website, along with festival passes available to buy.