Meet the team

Gareth coordinates the collection of our donated bikes and helps get them running smoothly. You might see them pedalling around town on our e-bike with a trailer load of bikes. Gareth is committed to teaching mechanic and cycling skills in an accessible way, and can be found sharing their knowledge at our fix-ups.

Arthur is often the first point of contact for people looking to get a bike with EkeRua. He runs the Wednesday open night session in Newtown and our Friday afternoon session at Raukawa. He’s a passionate bike rider and fixer and has been involved with community bike projects in Wellington for 20 years.

Leah has long worked in the transport sector and has been a pioneer for getting more people on bikes. One of the founders of Frocks on Bikes, it is her mission to make cycling for transport acceptable and accessible for more people. Leah came across the same Facebook post as Hilleke, asking for bikes for a former refugee family back in 2015, which was the beginning of the ReBicycle journey.

James has been at the forefront of cycling advocacy in Wellington for over a decade. He was chair of Cycle Wellington during a revolutionary period for the city's cycle budget. James is an expert negotiator and the voice of reason in many heated debates. He has an in-depth knowledge of all things bike and the inner workings of local government. While a confident cyclist, he also understands the vulnerability of riding with your child on the back of a cargo-bike through busy streets and works hard to make this safer for everyone.

Jess is a researcher who has worked in numerous roles throughout the education field. She is completely obsessed with bikes, which she uses for transport, leisure, sport and socialising. Jess trained as a cycle skills instructor and has a history of involvement with EkeRua through helping out with events and learn-to-ride courses. She became a trustee in 2024 and has been busy learning more about (and being awed by) all the things that make up EkeRua since then. She loves to see others getting hooked on bikes and is passionate about helping to facilitate that.

Emma is normally found riding a cargo bike, but will happily mix it up. In her day job, she's a social scientist and lecturer in public health. Some of her favourite parts of that work involve exploring the connections between cycling and wellbeing. Emma has previously worked as a Pedal Ready instructor and absolutely loves the process of getting people riding for the first time. She joined EkeRua as a trustee in 2024 and is enjoying getting to know the amazing mahi that the EkeRua community are involved in.

Hilleke has been riding a bike since her toddler days in the Netherlands but discovered cycling advocacy relatively recently, in 2009. Since then she has changed career paths to promote and enable people to use active transport. Growing up in the ‘poor part’ of Hastings, she has seen the hardship good people face, and is driven by a desire to enhance people’s lives. Providing a bike is a simple gift but it can make a big difference.

Mike has worked alongside Hilleke from the beginning. He grew up in Castlecliff, Whanganui and has many tales (i.e. scars) about bike adventures gone wrong. These days, Mike works as an editor and has made many promotional and safety films about transport. He has also worked as a Pedal Ready instructor. He loves working with kids, new bike technology, and finding new ways to help get people riding.