2023 NZ CYCLE TRAIL Forum

Pete, Bria and Rowan recently attended the Annual NZ Cycle Trail Great Rides Forum held in Wellington on 9-10 October 2023. Bike Taupō representatives have been attending these hui for the last 11 years since the forum was first started in 2012. The Great Lake Trails is one of the 23 great rides that come under the NZ Cycle Trails.  

The two day forum allows trail managers from around to country to come together, discuss key issues around management, marketing and share knowledge. It also provides an opportunity to connect with government the national NZCT team and some of our key funders and partners.

Some of the topics discussed at this year’s forum were:

·         The Governments role in the Great Rides and their investment to date and future funding contributions. Their strategic plan. The effects of extreme weather events.

·         Data insights from the trail surveys and marketing.

·         Trail Accessibility? What sort of things are we hearing about from our trail users about accessibility? What actions are we taking on (and off) trail to enhance accessibility and that one solution will suit all trails or communities.

·         Exploring operating models for Great Rides on public conservation land.

·         Engaging with iwi and focussing on:

o   Clearly defined Kaupapa

o   Engage Early

o   Mana to Mana

o   Be Inclusive

·         AUSTRALIAN TRAILS What has been happening over the ditch and what can we learn from each other.

·         Tourism Industry Aotearoa talked about restoring nature and the environmental benefits of trails. How trails can assist in restoring and regenerating nature and the importance of tackling climate change and our biodiversity crisis.

·         Eliminating waste associated with our trails was also a hot topic!

Overall it seems that we are doing ok in Taupō and it was good to share our 20 years of learnings with other parts of the country. We also took a way some learnings of our own that we can use to improve how we work.