Tēnā koutou katoa!

ReBicycle EkeRua is all about getting people on bikes and giving them opportunities to learn to ride. Over 2000 bikes have been donated to us since we started and we’ve fixed up (with help from our wonderful volunteers) and re-homed over three-quarters of those. That’s hundreds people in the Wellington region who wouldn’t otherwise have access to a bike, for fun, transport or recreation. We reckon that’s a pretty cool achievement. Every week we spot more and more of our bikes ‘out in the wild’. Keep an eye out for the sticker on the stem!  🙂

What is it?

ReBicycle is a charitable community organisation which ‘upcycles’ donated second-hand bikes into safe, practical commuter bikes to gift or loan to people who need them, starting with newly settled refugees in the Wellington region but also including any people experiencing financial difficulty. It’s a community-led initiative that gives back to the community, preventing useful resources ending up in the landfill, reducing transport carbon emissions and enabling free healthy transport options. All bikes are donated by the public, parts are donated or bought, and mechanics volunteer their time where possible. Due to limited time and resources we aren’t able to fix up every bike, and inevitably some will end up going to the metal recycler – the more volunteers we have, the better use we can make of the resources. Please note: We occasionally sell donated bikes to help buy much-needed parts and accessories. 

Why?

There are many people in our community who need access to free/cheap/accessible transportation. ‘Transport poverty*’ is becoming a real issue. Free bikes and helmets, combined with cycle skills training, offer a long term transport solution with little ongoing cost. It also keeps bikes out of the landfill and helps to reduce carbon emissions.

From Recycling Bicycles for Refugees (Auckland):

“Bikes are a great way of preventing isolation and keeping the community in touch with each other. When you arrive here with everything you own in a small suitcase a bicycle is very valuable in many ways.”

Ngā mihi nui

Thanks to everyone who helps keep us rolling: Newtown Festival, Mechanical Tempest and Wellington City Council at the bike hub, 230 Riddiford Rd (and thanks to the very generous owners who prefer to remain anonymous). And we’ve received funding and support from Wellington Community Trust, Thankyou Charitable Trust, Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Hutt Mana Charitable Trust, Nikau & Tindall Foundations, and all the other donors, shops and organisations – ka mau te wehi!  Keep an eye out on our facebook page for more info and updates.

* “Transport poverty occurs when a household is forced to consume more travel costs than it can reasonably afford, especially costs relating to motor car ownership and usage.” (Gleeson and Randolph, 2002, p102)