The Wednesday Challenge received $126,200 from Hoe ki angitū - the NZTA Innovation Fund, to deliver a pilot to encourage children in Tairāwhiti to use a different mode of transport other than a private family car, to travel to school on Wednesdays.
This was in response to the Round One challenge- ‘Providing under-served communities with greater access to transport’.
The overarching objective of the project was for school children to use active or shared modes on Wednesdays during a 12-week period, with at least 50% of Tairāwhiti schools participating by the end of the trial. The programme was delivered with proactive marketing and engagement and a specific engagement focus for iwi/Māori/. Environment Tairāwhiti chose a Māori name for the project: Te Wero ia Wenerei.
Eight schools in urban areas of Gisborne agreed to take part in the challenge, comprising 2,932 students. There were some challenges in obtaining results due to schools starting the Wednesday Challenge initiative at different times, periods of extreme weather resulting in low participation days, and a relatively short trial period. Despite these challenges, qualitative and anecdotal evidence clearly showed positive benefits from the pilot. Rural schools did not participate in the challenge because rural roads do not have infrastructure for walking or cycling.
Overall, the project was viewed positively, and Te Wero ia Wenerei has received funding for another year to continue in schools in urban Tairāwhiti. The project also increased awareness of traffic and amenity issues around schools that some principals had not previously been aware of.
The next steps include continued support and engagement with schools that are funded to participate in the programme, to expand it to other regions, and to Australia. The Wednesday Challenge are also exploring sustainable sponsorship and funding opportunities, as well as a corporate licence so more businesses can take part. The Wednesday Challenge has also established a partnership with the Ministry of Education.
Read the full report here:
| Te Wero ia Wenerei. (2024). The Wednesday Challenge [PDF, 1.2 MB]. |
