Pedalling through puddles, Wesley Intermediate students “took to cycling like ducks to water” as they braved rainy weather and explored the urban development kicking off in their community. 

Plant the Seed, part of the Construction Plus programme at Kāinga Ora, was an opportunity for the students to discover how they could play a role in the future of their growing neighbourhood. 

“Events and activities like these are a great way for us to bring our youngest community members along with us as we go on that urban development journey,” says Nigel Chandra, Construction Plus Manager. 

“But it’s more than that, too, and that’s why we call this Plant the Seed – it can spark an interest among our tamariki to play an active role in their community’s future or explore career and other opportunities as they get older.” 

Rotating through three hands-on activity stations, the Roskill Bike Hub team first led a tour to show tamariki how cycling can be a fun and sustainable way to see and move around their community. Next, it was all about what happens during development, walking through the steps from identifying steps in removing an existing house to building a new home. 

Finally, Lego and chalk became tools to create and plan housing designs, stormwater and traffic management solutions, before applying their new skills in a virtual world thanks to Skills VR. 

Community Development and Engagement Coordinator Karla Beazley joined students of the cycle tour, and says the rain was no barrier to a valuable experience. 

“The rain made it more fun for the students, who literally took to cycling like ducks to water,” she says. 

“A lot of them are already involved with the Bike Hub, putting to use the skills they learned from its Train Project and helping encourage others to consider and use more sustainable modes of transport to get around their communities.”