WORD Ride in Schools
Mountain Bike Ride Days for Wellington Schools
Fully facilitated days that meet every student where they're at, from complete beginners on the school field to experienced riders on real trails. Safe, curriculum aligned, and a serious amount of fun.
WORD creates good riders and good humans
Outdoor education for Wellington students
WORD uses mountain biking as a vehicle to build confidence, resilience, connection and a lifelong love of being active outdoors. A Ride Day gives your students a fun, safe and memorable introduction to riding and the riding community, and leaves them wanting to keep going after the day finishes.
Why Wellington schools choose WORD Ride Days
A Ride Day directly supports hauora, the model of wellbeing that underpins the NZ Health and Physical Education curriculum. Students develop:
Confidence
Stepping out of the comfort zone and trying something genuinely new.
Resilience
Falling short, having another go, and getting there.
Teamwork
Communication and cooperation through group games and challenges.
Risk awareness
Assessing and calculating risk in a supported environment, a life skill, not just a bike skill.
Physical skills
Balance, coordination and fundamental bike handling, plus the wider benefits of riding.
Connection to the outdoors
A love of the places New Zealand riding happens, and a habit that lasts.
What's included in a school Ride Day
Every Ride Day is fully facilitated by experienced WORD instructors and shaped around your school, from a single have-a-go session through to a programme supporting Duke of Edinburgh or credentialed outdoor education.
- Fun confidence building games
- Fundamental bike handling skills
- Cornering, braking, climbing and descending
- Team challenges and adventure activities
- Trail etiquette and safe riding practices
- Progressions for students of all abilities
Where it happens
School grounds, local parks, pump tracks or nearby mountain bike trails, chosen around your location and the age and experience of the group.
Student kit list
What do students need to bring?
Please make sure every student arrives ready to ride with the right gear.
- An AS/NZS-certified helmet
- A serviced bike with 2 working brakes
- Closed-toe footwear
- A rain jacket if leaving school grounds
Safe, accredited Ride Days for schools
Safety is built into how we run every Ride Day. Its no secret that mountain biking is an inherently risky sport, but we believe the risk assessment skills students build through it are skills they use for life.
Our full Risk Management Plan and Site and Activity Management Plan can be provided on request for your EOTC file.
- Registered Adventure Activity Operator, certified under WorkSafe New Zealand
- GSMBC Qualified Instructors who specialise in working with young people
- One of the first organisations in Aotearoa to meet the Sport Integrity Code NZ, independently audited
- All instructors police vetted and chosen to align with WORD values
- Pre-session safety briefing plus bike and helmet checks
- Ability-based grouping and progressions, not a one-size-fits-all trail ride
- First aid trained instructors on site
- A weather contingency plan agreed with your school ahead of the day
NCEA and EOTC alignment for school Ride Days
A Ride Day can work toward NZQA mountain biking unit standards across Levels 1–3, matched to your group's actual terrain and skill level.
Grade 1 terrain: beginner, first-time or school-grounds sessions.
Bike set-up and maintenance, independent of terrain grade.
Grade 2 terrain: intermediate groups on local parks and easy trails.
Grade 3 terrain: experienced riders on genuine mountain bike trails.
Standards 20137, 20138 and 20817 carry a planned NZQA review date of 31 December 2026. We confirm current versions before anything goes into a formal proposal.
How a WORD Ride Day works
Here's exactly what to expect from first enquiry through to wrapping up and planning what's next.
Mountain biking programmes beyond the Ride Day
For many students the Ride Day is the beginning, not the end. Schools can connect interested students to WORD programmes running all year, so they keep building skills long after the day finishes.
Explore WORD programmesEnquire about a Ride Day for your Wellington school
Tell us your dates, group sizes and what you want the day to achieve. We'll come back with a proposal built around your students and your calendar.