Park rangers take new e-bikes for a spin

Greater Wellington Regional Council takes another step towards its carbon neutral by 2030 goal by providing regional park rangers with electric bikes.

Two rangers took their new e-bikes for a spin around East Harbour Regional Park recently, demonstrating how quick and easy it will now be to get around.

East Harbour ranger Jo Greenman says having access to e-bikes will allow rangers to spend less time in their vehicles.

"I'll be able to use the bike for things like track building, facility inspections, going to clean toilets, small repairs to signs and general ranger rounds in the park.

"I think these bikes will also make us more accessible to the public. We might seem a bit unapproachable when we're driving around in our trucks, but when we are out on bikes people are able to come and say hello."

Greater Wellington provided one bike for Queen Elizabeth Park rangers, one for eastern rangers and one for Belmont Regional Park ranger Jeremy Paterson who says it has already made his job easier.

"The other day I used the e-bike to do a dam inspection which would usually take two hours to complete by foot. The bike shaved an hour off that time.

"It's so quick and easy to use, and I think we'll save a lot of time. We are going to get some carriers for them too so we will be able to use them for jobs that require us to carry tools," Jeremy says.

The KTM electric mountain bikes were supplied by nation-wide electric bike specialists Electrify NZ at a discounted rate to help the organisation reduce their carbon footprint.

Michael Fritt, Electrify NZ founder says he was delighted to assist Greater Wellington with durable e-bikes which rangers can use on a variety of terrain.

"Electric bikes are increasingly seen as a serious alternative for staff transportation, both on and off the road. They don't burn fossil fuels, they provide some exercise and staff tend to love using them.

"It's fantastic to see Greater Wellington being innovative and adopting healthier and more sustainable forms of transport," Michael says.