Flying high. A biker gets airborne at the Waitangi Trail Bike Park.
Waitangi Mountain Bike flourishing
The management team at Waitangi Mountain Bike recently conducted a survey of the park’s usage patterns using data collected from their own sources and that of Trailforks, a trail management system used at numerous venues around New Zealand.
Since its inception in 2017 the park has seen consistent use. In its best year, there were 22,164 rides in the park, which interestingly coincided with a period of Covid lockdown. Last year brought a decrease in the number of rides in a period of exceptionally wet weather but there were still over 16,000.
Rides in the park are not the same as individual trail users, as each biker might use the park multiple times on a holiday or across the year if they are a local. It is difficult to determine the exact number of riders each year but evidence from Trailforks suggests that in 2021, 22,164 rides in the park were made by 3383 individual bikers.
Who is riding? A diverse mix of bikers. In 2023, an impressive 61.82% of riders were visitors, bringing new resources to Northland. Meanwhile, 38.18% were Northland residents.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 53% of bike hires were made by international visitors, highlighting the park’s appeal. Even in recent times, over 20% of donations to the park came from Auckland residents, which shows continued support from beyond the region.
Visitors from outside of Northland who come to bike bring new money into the region. The biking enthusiasts typically stay for 3.9 nights and spend $306 per day, which is higher than the average traveller. While about one-third of their spending is on biking-related activities (such as rentals, shuttles, and repairs), the remaining two-thirds are spent on accommodation, dining, retail and transport.
Based on an economic impact report compiled by Benje Patterson, over the past seven years the park has contributed more than $10 million in economic value to the community.
Citizens Advice celebrates 40 years
Citizens Advice Bureau in Kerikeri is celebrating 40 years of providing advice on almost anything one can think of.
In the early days the committee, under chairwoman Rev Pauline Law, spent nine months gathering information on clubs, societies and organisations and building up files on a considerable range of subjects.
They went around asking different groups what problems and difficulties they had, then found out how to solve the problems, and put the two together.
They walked the streets trying to find premises and it initially looked as though the whole concept might founder, until the Kerikeri Community Council offered the use of its rooms at the rear of the public library.
They moved to a house next to the library until 2003, when they moved to the Masonic Lodge building for a year while the Proctor library was built and that’s where they remain.
In 1984 they received $1000 from the Hugh Murray Trust and $350 from various community groups, so the headache of having to find money to begin was solved.
They started with 14 volunteers. Today, the Kerikeri CAB has one paid part-time co-ordinator and 32 volunteers and is governed by a board made up of volunteers.
Also within the organisation are peer reviewers, who check the reports for accuracy after an interview and they can call on the services of a lawyer and an employment adviser.
In the past year CAB Kerikeri had 2683 inquiries, with the most frequent subjects being relationships, legal services, rental housing, conditions of work, consumer law, death, law enforcement and court matters, budgeting and financial difficulties.
In the past month the feature problem was insurance. According to a Financial Services Council 2022 survey around 70% of New Zealanders were underinsured.
The CAB also ran a campaign to get banks, telcos and digital platforms to take action to address scams to join a centralised anti-scam centre so the relevant organisations can work together to keep the community safe.
Local author wins inaugural award
Whangārei junior fiction author, Janine Williams, has won the inaugural Arts Foundation (Te Tumu Toi) Lynley Dodd Children’s Writers Award.
A selection panel considered an impressive longlist of nominees for the new award. The panel was made up of well-established New Zealand authors David Hill, Tim Tipene and Tessa Duder.
They felt Janine came closest to fulfilling Dame Lynley Dodd’s wish, that the award should provide a boost of confidence and financial support to a talented emerging writer. She receives $30,000 to support her ongoing work.
Her first novel, Holding the Horse, was shortlisted in the NZSA Best First Book category in 2023. The sequel Like the Wind received a Storylines Notable Book Award in 2023.
Janine said she was “incredibly happy, that such a huge stroke of good fortune should have come my way”.
When she learned she was selected as the inaugural Lynley Dodd Children’s Writers Award recipient, she said it will be life-changing “as it will enable me to write full time and I can enrol in courses or pay for coaching that I would otherwise never be able to afford”.
The award was inspired by a pivotal moment in Dodd’s career when a financial gift allowed her to continue writing, leading to her ultimately becoming a celebrated writer and illustrator.
The award is intended for authors who have established their identity in the field of children’s literature, showcasing the range and depth in their work. Eligible recipients should have published two or three books, whether they are picture books, junior novels or young adult novels, and should exemplify the strength and quality of children’s literature in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Lynley Dodd Children’s Writers Award will be presented every two years, alternating with the Mallinson Rendel Illustrators Award, which recognises children’s illustrators. Both awards are selected by independent panels and are not open to applications.
All about men’s mental health
A year ago, a casual men’s mental health group called Level Up was formed in Kerikeri by Jordan Culpepper.
The group meet every two weeks on a Monday night at Zest Café to hear progress over the past fortnight and listen to strategies on topical issues. As a bonus, many of the men make lasting friendships.
Jordan Culpepper has moved out of the district now and his place has been taken over by two Seans, Sean McNulty and Sean Thompson.
“Many of us have found this group hugely beneficial over the past year and we took over the running of it to maintain and grow this much-needed community initiative,” said Sean McNulty.
“We are not affiliated to any other group or organisation, just local blokes knowing and helping out other local blokes.”
There are between seven and nine men who attend regularly and there are always new people who come along to see what’s on offer. There’s a mix of ages from early 30s to 60, so the average age is around 45.
The group is always open to new drop-ins to share “journeys” and there are the regular attendees. McNulty says they go over the previous two weeks and listen to strategies on topical issues.
The regional council said elderly people were struggling to walk to the nearest stop.