The Instep programme by Priority One aims to cultivate strong partnerships between local schools and businesses to support the development of future talent in our community. Recognising the significance of investing in our young people to create a sustainable pipeline of talent for Tauranga Moana, the programme inspires them with connections, training and career opportunities that are available locally, while equipping them with essential work-ready skills to thrive in an ever-changing world.

The Instep team recently facilitated a presentation with Dan Wallace from ElectrifyNZ to business students from Tauranga Boys’ College on the benefits of electric bikes for sustainability and their potential as a product for use in their NCEA marketing plans. As a long time cyclist and sustainability advocate, Dan emphasised the importance of developing a business and taking risks while promoting products that are meaningful, positive, and have growth potential for the region.

Dan highlighted the advantages of electric bikes for commuters and recreational cyclists, noting that they are getting people back on bikes in large numbers. They offer a sweat-free and faster way to travel short distances and are also fun to ride. Additionally, companies like Dominos Pizza are using electric bikes such as the UBCO to reduce their carbon footprint.

Electrify NZ is the country’s nationwide electric bike specialist, with stores in every major region and a franchise model that allows customers to try electric bikes anywhere in the country. The company offers 48 different models of electric bikes, catering to a diverse range of needs and preferences.

During the presentation, Dan discussed three different electric bike models for three different markets. The Magnum, a commuting bike, is designed to go from point A to B quickly and can go up to 45km/h. It has an intelligent design that is cadence driven. Congestion in the city is on the rise and an 8km journey can take up to 45 minutes where on an Ebike it will be 12 minutes.

The step-through trail bike is popular with the 60-plus age group who are enjoying the bike trails that New Zealand has to offer. With the ability to travel 80-100km on one battery, it is an intuitive, intelligent bike that feels like a normal bike. With a centralised system it works on torque sensors. The harder you push down on the pedals the more power it delivers.

The full-suspension mountain bike is the fastest-growing electric bike market worldwide and is extremely intuitive and powerful. This bike can do 140km out of one charge and with 2000 sensors it will mimic the rider for the first 2kms and reprogram itself to benefit the user.

After highlighting the different electric bike models, Dan challenged the students to produce a marketing strategy targeting their age group. The students identified the prohibitive cost of electric bikes as a barrier to adoption among their peers and suggested ideas like creating a bike trail from Welcome Bay, making bikes more affordable for students by getting a government rebate or a weekly payment programme, putting in charging stations all over the city, and getting an influencer in their age group to promote electric bikes.

The students then had the opportunity to test ride each model. Dan Wallace’s presentation highlighted their potential as a sustainable transportation option and as a product with huge growth potential in the market. It also underscores the importance of considering ethical and moral values in business decisions and gives the students an opportunity to critically think about their futures and what value they will add to the region.