The first person to take part in the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s 2010 Active a2b programme was Archives New Zealand’s Diana Coop, Manager Preservation Services.
On Friday 8 January Ms Coop (pictured above, front) biked to Archives New Zealand’s Wellington National Office in Thorndon, Wellington, from central Ngaio with biking buddy Claire Pascoe, Wellington Regional Council’s coordinator of the a2b programme.
The ride took only 13 minutes which Ms Coop attributes to the conditions: “easy, downhill and on a good day with no wind”.
Ms Coop got her bike at the beginning of 2009, but has only been riding seriously on the weekends.
“I’ve never ridden to work before, but now have the incentive to keep it up on sunny days,” she says. “The ride was pleasant with not too much traffic, which is good because I didn’t want to come down Ngaio Gorge.
“Now I would do it again – thanks to the support of my bike buddy Claire Pascoe, who gave me some handy tips, and the a2b programme.”
Archives New Zealand signed-up for the Active a2b programme, recognising the benefits of having active and healthy employees. The initiative provides tools and support to get fit and healthy at little cost.
Active a2b is a health and wellbeing programme run by Greater Wellington encouraging employees in Wellington workplaces to walk or cycle to work. The initiative, running to March 2010, aims to transform the trip to work into something valuable.
More information about Active a2b is available on the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s website at: www.gw.govt.nz