“We are focusing on the commute to and from school and to and from work. That’s where we can achieve the greatest impact. After the success of the schools’ pilot programme, we were able to raise funding to allow us to introduce it to businesses and we hope to see many come on board.”
There were a host of benefits that come with the initiative, he said.
“The Challenge encourages healthy travel modes both for the environment and for the individuals taking part.
“For people in business it is a great way to lead by example. There’s loads of research around the benefits of exercise both in terms of health and wellbeing but also productivity. It’s also a fun challenge for business teams to do, which adds to their team culture.”
Reducing road congestion and carbon emissions and improving health and wellbeing makes it a “win-win for the region”.
Trust Tairāwhiti general manager communities Audine Grace-Kutia said the project aligned well with the organisation’s wellbeing framework, He Rangitapu He Tohu Ora.
“We look forward to seeing positive impacts and outcomes for our communities in Tairāwhiti.”
The Te Wero ia Wenerei Schools Challenge is partnering with Mercury for the 2024 effort.
“Mercury are passionate and proactive in their commitment to take care of tomorrow and support a sustainable future.,” say Te Wero ia Wenerei organisers. “They believe active participation in communities is essential to supporting these communities to thrive.”
Schools that take part log their students’ journeys each Wednesday and if the students opt for good modes, they earn points for their school and the chance to share in a Mercury prize pool of funding for the winning schools to spend on resources of their choice.
“We appreciate we are asking students, parents and whānau to have a go at changing their routines,” Harley said.
“So, we are rewarding them as part of the challenge. We are so appreciative of Mercury recognising the value of the Challenge and supporting us to do this.”
Statistics from the 2023 pilot showed an 11 percent decrease in the use of cars, a 22.5 percent increase in walking and 14 percent increase in bus usage. Other modes like carpooling and scootering also increased.
“Last year we were able to engage with schools and drive car usage down, whilst increasing the number of students who are walking, biking, scootering, busing or carpooling to school.
“We are looking forward to seeing what we can achieve over a full year this time across schools and businesses.”
Wainui Beach School, Kaiti School, Gisborne Central School, Te Wharau School, Cobham School, Ilminster Intermediate, Gisborne Girls High School and Gisborne Boys High School participated last year.
“Considering some of our schools are in more remote places, that’s a great outcome and we look forward to seeing the stats continue to reflect growth in more environmentally friendly travel modes.
“Whilst the lure of rewards and prizes works to motivate students, feedback received by the programme, from participating schools, shows the impetus to do the challenge is far greater.”
The Wednesday Challenge was first launched in Tauranga during 2022 as a pilot programme.
Last year’s involvement with Gisborne schools was a success, those involved said.
“It’s not about the prizes, it’s not about the points, it’s about making a change for ourselves and our taiao,” Kaiti School principal Billie-Jean Potaka said
“We heard that many students went home last year and talked about te wero, developed a plan with whānau and participated. One class even had a 100 percent turnaround in the first week, from all getting rides to all walking, biking or scootering, which is awesome.”
Wainui Beach School deputy principal Mike Hope said they saw tangible evidence of the effects of the challenge.
“We tracked the number of students using the pedestrian crossing in the mornings and observed that the numbers doubled.”
Keeping tamariki and rangatahi safe while they explore different travel modes to and from school is a key part of the challenge and it’s one the schools collaboratively embraced.
Te Wero ia Wenerei Te Wharau School Champion Jamie Kelly said: “Our tamariki really enjoyed the challenge in 2023 and all staff were on board helping with drop spots to keep our tamariki safe.”
Tairāwhiti Environment Centre has been an environmental advocate in the region since 1990, focusing on education, waste minimisation and biodiversity. In more recent years it has established itself as an umbrella organisation for multiple conservation projects.
“The challenge aligns well with the centre’s priorities and is an exciting addition,” Harley said.
“On the ground in Tairāwhiti we ran the pilot as a collaborative programme with the support of Rau Tipu Rau Ora, Tairāwhiti Enviroschools, Gisborne District Council, Sport Gisborne and Healthy Families East Cape.”
Te Wero ia Wenerei is Tairāwhiti’s localised roll out of the Wednesday Challenge. The 2023 pilot was funded by Hoe ki angitū – the Waka Kotahi Innovation Fund and actively supported locally by the region’s Enviroschools coordinators.
