EkeRua – ReBicycle

During our stop in Wellington we visited the first bicycle project we would like to support with our fundraising campaign. We are stoked to tell you about it!

We met Arthur, who is project manager at EkeRua Rebicycle, for a coffee (oat flat - what else?). He’s a nice and passionate person, deeply involved in Wellington’s cycling scene. It felt like family right from the start!

At Fidel’s Café on Cuba Street we had a lovely chat, sharing stories about how we got into working with bicycles and what to eat on bikepacking trips 🍝 - mmm.

He invited us to see the project in action 🔧 🚲
So, a day later, we got the chance to join them at their weekly workshop, chat with the mechanics and guests, and even help fix some bikes. It was much fun and just great to get to know some real Kiwi bike enthusiasts in person!

EkeRua is a Wellington-based charitable community organisation that is all about getting more people on bikes and sharing the joy of cycling.

EkeRua receives bicycle donations every month, which are fixed by volunteer mechanics and given to people who need a bike.

EkeRua works together with the Red Cross, which has a list of people, especially refugees from Sudan, Ethiopia, Syria, etc., who would like to have a bike. Once a week, the mechanics fix matching bikes and hand them over with a lock, a helmet and lights, so they can ride safely.

It allows people to move freely, independently and environmentally friendly through Wellington, which is just great!

Besides that, once a week, EkeRua offers an open workshop for queer people, which is a safe space where you can come with your own bike and fix it with the help of mechanics.

Over the years, they’ve collected more than 3,000 bikes (!) and fixed and re-homed over 2,500 bikes, which is just amazing!

Financially EkeRua used to be supported by a climate fund from the governmental council, but they are increasingly depending on private donations. The money donated is used for buying new tools, spare parts, as well as locks, helmets, and lights.

We want to support EkeRua because we love their work and the concept of recycling old bikes and getting more people on two wheels ✊

And it reminds us a lot of our own NGO Faradgang. 🙂

If you LIKE TO support the project 💘

NOTE> Some faces in the pictures have been altered using AI to protect personal privacy.