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Why have Bike Taupō introduced Membership Fees?
Bike Taupō introduced membership fees in 2014 to continue and expand the services they provide. Bike Taupō started in 2002 as a cycling advocacy group which went on to building a bike trail between Taupō and the Huka Falls. Since then Bike Taupō has grown significantly and is now responsible for the building and maintenance of over 200kms of tracks including the Craters Mountain Bike Park in the Wairakei Forest, the Great Lake Trail and the Huka Trails. Bike Taupō also successfully manages the Kids Bike Taupō Programme, an interactive cycling education programme that takes biking & fun to the childrenin the Taupō district.
Bike Taupō funds this work through a mixture of:
- An annual grant from the Taupō District Council
- One-off grants for specific projects
- Memberships
- Donations
- Volunteer labour
- Partner contributions - financial or services & goods
The annual cost of maintaining our biking tracks alone is in excess of $100,000 and Bike Taupō feel the users of these tracks need to and would want to, contribute to this cost. Membership fees provide Bike Taupō with a guaranteed income stream which will help maintain the Taupō region as an internationally recognised cycling destination.