Anime, cats and colorful polka dots featured in some of the winning designs in Taupō District Council’s design your own helmet competition.
During the month of February, children from around the district had the opportunity to win a custom bike helmet with their own design.
Road safety coordinator Sarah Wraight says support from the community was key to the competition’s success.
"We had an overwhelming response from tamariki in the community - almost 300 entries, which is a really positive result for the first time we've run this competition.
“I’m really appreciative of Top Gear Cycles, Evo Cycles, My Ride, Torpedo 7 and Pack and Pedal for supporting the initiative, and our three judges Kevin Taylor [Taupō District Deputy Mayor], Pete Masters [Bike Taupō] and Sam Lurie [Top Gear]. Choosing the winners was not an easy job!”
There were more than 290 entries from children throughout the district, including 14 schools. The five winners were chosen for their unique creative flair. Each winner’s design was then professionally airbrushed onto a cycle helmet.
The winners were:
- Opal Deakin, 6, winner of the 5-6 years category
- Briana You, 7, winner of the 7-8 years category
- Ashley Theodore, 9, winner of the 9-10 years category
- Kataraina Mareikura- Fremlin, 12, winner of the 11-12 years category
- Seth Mackie, 10, winner of the judges’ choice category.
Winner of the 11-12 years category Kataraina Mareikura-Fremlin says her design is inspired by last-minute panic.
“It was a last-minute rush – my class was doing the competition and I just had to finish it. I didn’t expect to win! It looks really cool, it’s giving me cheese vibes.”
Seth Mackie’s father Mike Mackie says the competition was right up his son’s alley and a fun way to combine his art with biking.
“Our whole family are artists, we often spend our evenings drawing and painting together. No one else will ever have a helmet like it.”
Teaching kids how to stay safe on bikes and the importance of wearing a helmet is a top priority for Council.
“We’re very spoilt in the Taupō district as we have many fantastic trails and pathways,” Mrs Wraight says.
“We would love to get more kids and parents on bikes, but we want them to do it safely.”
The design your own helmet competition is part of Council’s initiative to encourage active and sustainable transport around the Taupō District and ties in nicely with the pedal safe programme.
The Pedal Safe programme is offered to Taupō District schools to help kids learn the basics of bike safety and to increase their riding confidence. The programme combines on-road and off-road courses and teaches kids helmet and bike safety checks, with the ultimate goal of giving children the skills to ride safely to school and parents the confidence to let them.
Learn more about Pedal Safe on our website: https://www.taupodc.govt.nz/pedalsafe
