Movin' March has students travel 82,000 kilometres in the name of active travel

Following the most successful Movin’ March yet, with more than 37,000 students potentially taking part, Greater Wellington is celebrating schools across the region for their students’ commitment to active travel.

An annual Greater Wellington initiative that encourages tamariki and their whānau to walk or wheel to school, this year’s Movin’ March participants logged nearly 150,000 trips over thirty-one days says Kirsty Barr, Travel Choice Advisor at Greater Wellington.

“That’s huge, equating to nearly 82,000 kilometres or more than 36 journeys from Cape Reinga to Bluff, delivering great results for wellbeing and building awareness of the importance of reducing carbon emissions through limiting vehicle use.”

Trips are logged in students’ ‘passports’, as part of the WOW passport challenge where students receive a stamp for each walk or wheel trip to and from school. The more passports submitted the more chance a school has to win added Barr.

In a flurry of cards, winning schools all over the region were drawn by councillors, each school receiving a $400 MYRIDE voucher for their students to keep the wheels rolling on their healthy travel habits.

Greater Wellington Councillor and Transport Committee Chair Roger Blakeley was one of those tossing the cards in the air during the draw.

“It’s a privilege to be involved in the draw and celebrate the thirteenth year of Greater Wellington encouraging and now celebrating tamariki and their whānau for using active travel to get to school”.

While at participating schools, resources like walkability checklists, carbon calculators and journey mapping activities were also produced along with planet friendly spot prizes, something Cr. Blakeley said enabled young minds to connect in a fun way to bigger picture environmental issues.

“Students and the community absolutely embraced these important additions to the programme and in many cases, students lead the way with this new direction, understanding their travel choices are important for the climate.

“Mahi pai to all the students, schools and families who got involved this March, we hope to set another record next year,” adds Cr Blakeley.

Learn more about Movin' March