South Auckland residents are invited to get on their bikes this weekend to celebrate the opening of a new 3.5km cycleway connecting Māngere Bridge and Māngere Town Centre. The new path links schools, parks, churches, and community hubs, making it easier for people to walk, cycle, and wheel around Māngere and beyond.

The Party on the Path, on Sunday 7 December, is a free, community-led event hosted by local community groups, businesses and schools who have collaborated with this project. There will be plenty of fun activities and games along the route, including an obstacle course, a bike mechanic station, and even a smoothie bike. These will make perfect pit stops as people explore the new cycleway from Māngere Bridge School to Moyle Park along Bader Drive.

The new bike link is just one of severalprojects in Māngere designed to improve travel for those who choose to walk, cycle and wheel for everyday trips.

Sokko Seeto, Operations Manager at Time to Thrive community bike hub, says cycle paths make biking safer from traffic and a more enjoyable mode of transport.

“The vision for Māngere is to be the cycling capital of the Pacific. It’s great for my Hauora and it’s a cheaper way to travel in this cost-of-living crisis. If we continue to connect our local community safely to places, spaces, parks, schools and shopping centres it becomes meaningful travel, and more and more people will use it.”

Seeto’s comments are echoed by others in the community.

“These bike lanes are important to protect our tamariki and young people from traffic when they go to school or ride around on their bikes”, says Matua Hone from Mataatua marae in Māngere. “It also links to my local marae, and I’ve been using it to help me exercise.”

And young riders Ioaba Parai, Maliu Mafi and Manu Ioane are making full use of the new cycle paths.

“We love riding our bikes together. We call ourselves the bike champions of Māngere. Cycle lanes make it safer for us to ride. We don’t have to worry about traffic or asking our parents for a lift every time we want to go somewhere in Māngere. We can just jump on our bikes and keep the wheels spinning.”

Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Member Harry Fatu Toleafoa says “While we know some in our community may feel hesitant about cycling, it’s important that we continue exploring alternative ways of getting around. Projects like this give our whānau more transport choices, encourage active lifestyles and help us reduce emissions over time. Cycling won’t be the first option for everyone, but it’s another practical choice for locals to consider.”

AT’s Head of Active Modes Tania Loveridge says Māngere is a high-priority community for transport investment due to the growth in housing and jobs.

“This is about improving transport options for people to move around Māngere safely and sustainably, making it easier for people of all ages and abilities to reach schools, churches, shops and other key destinations by bike.

“It has been fantastic to already hear from community members about the benefit of having this infrastructure in their area. With the cycleway now open, AT is collaborating with community groups and schools in the local area to deliver cycle training courses, group rides, and bike repair events to enable people to take more trips by bike.”

Asariah Potini, a Dean and teacher at Māngere College, says the cycling education programmes have had a big impact on students and the wider community.

“Throughout the cycle skills programme at Māngere College, I have watched our students grow in confidence and upskilling on how to ride and fix bikes. Kids don’t know what they don’t know so having this opportunity has shown them new areas of Māngere that they don’t usually use or know of and given them some new life experiences. Some of our students have now chosen to attend the bike rides with Triple Teez Bike hub on a Wednesday. I have enjoyed learning alongside my students and watching them enjoy something new and exciting.”

“Our research shows that providing safe, protected infrastructure, is critical to getting more people on bikes”, Loveridge says.“We continue to see year on year growth of the number of people cycling in Auckland - there’s been an average of 5% growth over the last three years.”

Note:

Party On The Path - Māngere & Māngere Bridge

• When: Sunday, 7 December
• Time: 11am – 3pm
• Where: Two start/finish locations – Moyle Park and Māngere Bridge School.
• Route follows the new cycleway along Bader Drive, McKenzie Road, Black Bridge Reserve, and Coronation Road.
• What: A community-led event celebrating the opening of the new cycle path. Enjoy free games, activities, and prizes along the route. Bring your bike, ride the new path, and stop at food stalls, fun activations, and pit stops along the way.
• Find all the details on the Eventfinda page.

The Māngere West Cycling Improvements form part of the Short-Term Airport Access Improvement Programme, developed and funded by Auckland Transport and NZTA. The programme aims to provide more travel options between the airport and surrounding area, while also filling a vital gap in Auckland’s cycling network by linking the Southwestern Cycleway from Onehunga to the airport.

The new improvements and other infrastructure projects in Māngere are part of AT’s wider strategic programme for cycling across Tāmaki Makaurau. They include:

• Māngere East Cycling Improvements – new connections planned to link the Norana Esplanade pathway in Māngere Bridge and Māngere West to Māngere Centre Park, Favona, and Māngere East.
• A new shared path in Māngere Centre Park – built last year, connecting Māngere West to Māngere East, along with the proposed Favona link cycleway.

Looking ahead, two future cycleway links are planned to connect the Māngere network to Ōtāhuhu Train Station, Middlemore Hospital, and Papatoetoe. Once complete, Māngere will be part of a fully connected bike network stretching through Ōtāhuhu, Papatoetoe, Onehunga, Mt Roskill, and all the way to the city centre.

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