The chances are you have never heard of Dave Donaldson. You probably have seen the difference his work has made though. He has been one of the driving forces pushing Rotorua into our collective consciousness as a mountain bike destination. From rider to trail advocate, mountain bike club president to now Deputy Mayor of Rotorua, he has worked to give mountain biking a voice in his local community. From bringing in international events like the 2006 World Championships and Crankworx to town, to less spectacular, but equally important, things like ensuring trail access and toilet facilities his involvement in the local mountain bike scene spans more than twenty years. In short, he is the local politician that most riders should wish they had representing them...



Local Hero
Local Hero

Local Hero
Local Hero



How did mountain biking evolve into politics for you?

I think it came with me, I was much about forest access advocacy and event advocacy as much as trail advocacy. I started to ride mountain bikes in about 1994, when I started to get sore knee running. My wife bought me an 18 speed Melazzo. She went onto the committee of the mountain bike club and not long after that the secretary of the mountain bike club resigned and left town, he's now a member of Parliament, actually and he was a policeman as well [laughs]. I was working in the police at the time too, and I went on as the club secretary, then at the next annual general meeting, took over the president's role when the president wanted to step down. In that role we were involved in everything, from trail building to events. In 1995 we ran the national finals of the mountain bike series and we ran them all the way through to 2000. That was the year I turned 50 and decided I was going to train hard and race, it's also the year I had a conversation with one of our head commissaires for mountain biking, we only had two in New Zealand at the time. We decided it would be a good thing to apply to the UCI to bid for the World Masters Championships. We flicked them an expression of interest and a bid and they said, "Look, we've awarded it to Bromont with a six year contract and we'll come back to you, but if you're interested in the Elite World Championships feel free to put a bid in..." I understood that they didn't have a bid at that time, so we put a bid in for 2004.

This was in 2001?

No, this was in 2000. The decision was to be made in 2001 so that's when I headed off to Vail to talk with the UCI. I think the French had re-submitted their bid for Les Gets, so they got the event and Livigno were bidding as well. That's the way it unfolded, there were three bids - France got 2004, Livigno won 2005 and we were bidding against Fort William for 2006. They got 2007, and came out to our event and had an expo there as well. Because we were having these events, running nationals, Oceania Championships in 2004 and 2006 as a lead up for the Worlds, I got involved with negotiating with the forest managers and the council over access and to build the right sort of trails for high-level competition. A pretty significant thing happened in 2008 - the land ownership was under a treaty claim from a collective of Maori tribes and was returned under an agreement as part of the Waitangi Settlement. So then we were negotiating with the Maori landowners, who were happy for it to remain as a mountain bike area, in consultation with the forest managers in Whaka forest. Up until that point there was free access guaranteed for foot, bicycle and horse. That clause carried over in the settlement, so we kept liaising with the forest managers. The forest cutting rights get very complicated, because the cutting rights were sold when they corporatised the New Zealand Forest Service. They were sold to private enterprise, originally to the Forestry Corporation, who then sold them to Fletcher Challenge Forestry, they then sold them to a Chinese conglomerate which went into receivership, then they sold them to Kind Road Timberlands, the current owners - who are the main shareholders of Harvard University Superannuation Fund and the Government Superannuation Fund.

So it sounds like what you were dealing with back then was already quite political, before you made the move into politics?

Yeah, it was. I mean, even running the World Champs was quite political, because we ran it at Skyline Skyrides and there were a number of passionate mountain bikers who were asking, "Why are we not holding it in the forest?" We'd been there, we'd looked at it with the UCI technical delegates and there just wasn't the space for the venue, there wasn't the infrastructure to support a major event. We went through a process similar to what we have just done with Crankworx of securing access further up the mountain for a downhill course and working with the landowner adjacent to the Skyline estate to create a venue for a World Championship event. So it was quite political, and in my role with the police as station supervisor, or senior sergeant, I was making media releases about policing issues of the day. The two combined and I think it gave me enough of a profile when I was encouraged to run for council for the first time in 2007. We'd just had the World Championships and I was talking about the event quite a lot in the media, and I was successful at getting onto the council in 2007.

What was it that motivated you to make the decision to try and get onto the council?

I retired from the police at Christmas 2005, and I had accumulated ten months of leave, so I was still on paid leave ten months after I'd retired. It gave me the freedom to go and work with Arthur Clapp, who is our event director, he is currently on our board for Crankworx, and devote that time all the way through to the World Champs. Then, I guess, I was talking to a few prominent guys in town who could see the potential for mountain biking and the value it could bring, and they said, "We need a good mountain biking advocate on council, it would make a big difference." So I said, "Right, I'll put my hand up and we'll give it a go..." Since then the attitude of the council, the attitude of the Department of Conservation, the attitude of business in Rotorua, in terms of embracing mountain biking for the benefits it can bring both socially and economically to the town has changed quite a lot over the years.

What was the attitude like in the beginning? New Zealand always seems to have embraced sport, and not just the mainstream ones like football or cricket.

Here in Rotorua you will see a big difference to the national media in the profile of mountain biking. I saw last night that mainstream television ran a 60 second slow-mo of the slopestyle [from Crankworx a few days before] on their main news programme. Prior to that there was very little interest. But the local media have really embraced mountain biking, we're known as a mountain biking town. Also, off-road multisport is big in Rotorua, so over time attitudes have changed. At the Department of Conservation there has been a big change in their attitudes towards having trails open for mountain biking on their estate. Even in other arms of central government - we got New Zealand Major Event Funding for the World Champs and again for Crankworx. They can see the tourism benefits from mountain biking.



Local Hero



Can you give some specific examples of the kind thing you pushed through for mountain biking while at the council?

One of the big issues that took a long time to get action were proper toilets at the mountain bike car park. 18 months ago there were six portaloos there year-round... In summer they were humming, they were horrible. It was in the 2009 long-term plan, which is then ten-year plan for the council. There had been one submission put into the public consultation saying that we need toilets at the mountain bike car park. I had had lots of feedback from mountain bikers that we needed them, because I move in those circles. So in their draft long-term plan the council had proposed to put a toilet block there in 2019, and we got them opened in 2013. The argument was that I had spoken to the staff who administrate the recreation side of the forest, looked at how much it was costing to service the portaloos in summers and Put forward all the comments that I had received from members of the public, particularly women and women with children who wanted to use the family trails, about how disgusting the portaloos were. I sit on three governance bodies for cycling. I'm a founding trustee of the Homer Cycling Trust, which built the Avanti velodrome at Cambridge. Rotorua is one of three local authorities that put funding into that. It's in Cambridge, which is not in our district, but is in the Bay of Plenty region, as part of putting $100,000 into that project our council committed to building new toilets here as part of that collaboration. Because of that we could then secure the title of a New Zealand Mountain Bike Centre of Excellence. The Avanti velodrome is the home of Cycling New Zealand, our national federation, but we're the Mountain Biking Centre of Excellence, which means we host high-profile mountain bike events, training camps, etc. With six other councillors, we said, "Six dusty portaloos in a dusty car park just don't cut the mustard for the Mountain Bike Centre of Excellence." We got the half-million dollar toilet block built, with the track going over the roof and a couple of showers. It was good for our local economy - people can come down from Auckland now and they know there are toilets there, they can have a shower before they get back in their car and go to a restaurant, or head back to Auckland in comfort. It's been a big leap forwards for us, but it took a lot of persuasion and attitude changing, but the council bought into it when they could see the value.

Do you have any specifics on the impact of mountain biking on the local economy?

We started having surveys done on the recreational use of the forest back in 2005 an the economic benefit of that. We had the done in 2005, 2007 after the World Champs, 2009 and 2013. I think there's another one being done now, there's certainly some economic survey work being done around Crankworx. Each one of those has shown an increase in mountain bike visitors to Rotorua. There was a big jump up in 2007 because of the World Champs lifting our profile, and between 2009 and 2013, mountain bike visits to the forest grew by 19% every year. In 2013 the economic benefit to the city was around the $12 million mark. There were 425,000 recreational visits to the forest every year. Another indicator is the Mountain Bike Rotorua hire facility. Those guys started three years back with 25 bikes and three full-time staff. Currently they have a fleet of about 130 bikes that run out regularly, even in winter on holiday weekends. They now have something like 20 full-time staff servicing that business.



Local Hero



Here in Rotorua you seem fairly free in terms of the type of trails you have - there is a good mix between family-friendly stuff and steep, nasty tracks.

The mountain bike committee manages the trail development in the forest. Today they do all the consultation work with the Maori landowners, the forest managers and the council, because the council leases of the forest nearest the city. They manage the maintenance of the trails and the council gives the $20,000 per year towards that maintenance. There are people who have gone in there and built trails without permission, and the club is really strong on shutting those down and cutting them out as much as they can because they have to. The deal is that they get three new trails each year and they are all part of a strategic plan to fill the gaps in trail loops to provide trails for a wide range of abilities. They go from kids-grade trails, flowy, jumpy trails through to more technical, rooty trails, native stuff. Then there is a programme to re-instate trails as compartments of the forest get harvested, which is often the opportunity to make a great job of a trail, to get a clear look at the lie of the land and get a real good flowing on. The club is in the process of splintering their committee apart to form a Rotorua trails trust to focus purely on trails, while the club focuses on events and rider development.

With many managed areas there seems to be a progression towards easier "flow" trails, but there is an argument that a lack of technical trails effects rider development and the long-term future of the sport.

I think that's a valid argument. There has always been a debate in the club - I was president for seven years and I focused on events, other club presidents like Jeff Carter and Greg Brown who followed me have had more of a focus on building the trail infrastructure. There needs to be a balance, in my view, because without events you don't have the pressure. When enduro came along there was pressure to cater for this new, growing discipline. So, if we want to attract enduro riders to Rotorua then we have to cater for them with the right sorts of trails. They don't to come and ride smooth, flowy, machine-built trails all the time. The value of events is they showcase Rotorua globally. With Xterra next year, for example, we've got Conrad Stoltz back for the second time. He came for the first time at the 11th Xterra last year and just raved about the trails. He's a legend in Xterra, so if he goes away and tweets or talks about how trails, then suddenly you have Xterra riders coming to the next Xtrerra, or just wanting to come here and have a look. It's the same with enduro, with downhill.

What do you see as the future development for Rotorua?

We have got an economic growth council-controlled organisation and together with the trails trust they have a vision for growing mountain bike visitation to Rotorua three-fold over the next 20 years, and to grow the economic benefit three-fold with it. I think that's pretty exciting, there are plenty of new, keen people, smart business people stepping into that space and supporting that. I think we will just continue to grow mountain biking in Rotorua. Crankworx, EWS, etc, to have those international events here really lifts the profile.

There are rumours you are trying to bring the World Cup downhill to Rotorua too?

Yep. We put a bid in for the World Cup for 2015. That was an enquiry we received from the UCI during our bike festival. I got an email from them saying, "Would you guys be interested in putting a bid in for a back-to-back World Cup with Australia?" For reasons best-known to the Australians their 2015 World Cup didn't happen, or they didn't proceed with their event, so the UCI said, "Sorry guys... After asking you to put a bid in, you're not on the calendar in 2015." It will be interesting to see what happens when bids close 1 April, because we asked to leave our bid in there, what the UCI come back with because Cairns has a World Cup next year in April, I think. So we'll see whether the UCI are still keen to have a World Cup in Rotorua, and, of course, the World Champs are in Cairns in 2016 and generally they like to have a World Cup close to the World Champs, either before or after. So they have September dates for Cairns, which isn't bad here. August was challenging when we held our World Champs. We got a light dusting of snow at the top of the downhill in August, but it didn't effect the racing at all.

What has been the high point in all this for you, has there been one moment where you have said to yourself, "This makes it all worrthwhile"?

There have been lots of those moments. I started riding, as I said, in about 1994, and I was competing in the Masters category XC in 2000, and I was Masters champion that year for the New Zealand series. Why I say that is because I was one of the older guys riding in Whaka forest at the time. Now, I'm nowhere near. I was talking to a guy at breakfast this morning who is 69. They did an article in the New Zealand Mountain Biker mag about a couple of 70 year olds who are out there riding all the trails in the forest, giving them all a crack, still going hard! So I regularly see people older than me, and I'm 65 this year. I think it's really cool that we've got kids on runner bikes right through to people in their 70s riding there. That's what I get a kick out of really, seeing a really healthy community from it. People talk about mountain biking injuries and I just say, "How many people have died from mountian biking in New Zealand?" I only know of one in Whaka forest who died from a mountain bike crash, where so many people die swimming the surf each year, fishing off the rocks and get sucked out to sea, or drowning in boating accidents. It's far better than forking out millions for obesity and diabetes.

Author Info:
mattwragg avatar

Member since Oct 29, 2006
753 articles

24 Comments
  • 21 0
 Nice article well written, seems like a bloke whos chill and stoked all in one! Puts in a lot of work he does!
  • 9 0
 Well done Sir!

That's much more interesting to me than the story of the latest whip off winner (not that there is anything wrong with that) or the most up to date bit of biker gadgetry. Carbon of course.

I really like the idea that you can be an older dude (like me) and still get out and ride. The I also like the idea that success in an MTB destination is made up of years and years of effort, by heaps and heaps of like minded people and often not for a financial gain.

I, for one, will be among the threefold increase in MTB tourism to Rotorua. That being said, I will no longer even think about paddling Huka falls....
  • 1 0
 Huka falls is good fun man! If you are here and need a guide PM me. we are always paddling it!
  • 1 1
 Nzbraaap Cheers for that. I had a good look at it running at about 200 cumecs, and the lead in looked seriously impressive and consequential. Years ago, maybe I would have done it at about 60, but these days I'm past really big water paddling. That being said, I have hurt myself far more coming off the bike than I ever did paddling so maybe I should start up again.
  • 1 0
 haha ya 200 is chunky man! highest i've run is 109cu. if you get here and its below 60cu. pretty much nothing to steer clear of!
  • 9 0
 What an absolute boss. Rotorua has a lot to thank him for.
  • 4 0
 I've been living in Canada for 13 years, and when I was home last year, I was stunned at the development in the forest in Rotorua. That's one seriously slick operation with great facilities and amazing trails, and a fabulous addition to the tourism already there. Thanks for all the hard work, Dave ... you make a difference for sure.
  • 4 0
 Thanks for the article. To me, so much more interesting reading about the behind the scenes hard work of people like this as opposed to the usual athlete profiles. This is what makes trails and biking happen
  • 2 0
 Exactly. Racing, MTB trail access, clubs, etc. won't happen without volunteers.
  • 3 0
 I got to meet Dave at Crankworx and have a chat with him about mtb'ing and the whole Rotorua scene...........top bloke. We need more people like him.
  • 1 0
 What an inspiration. I'm planning to move to Rotorua or surrounds later this year or early next based entirely on the amazing community (MTB and not) that I've seen on my two holidays there. Awesome trails doesn't hurt either.
  • 4 0
 Creating, sustaining and growing a scene... Raise a shovel and beer to you, sir.
  • 5 0
 that man deserves a DB
  • 2 0
 "That was the year I turned 50 and decided I was going to train hard and race..." - Top man. Bravo.
  • 3 0
 Dave Donaldson is a total GC,
  • 1 0
 Awesome to hear from somebody who is walking the walk and making things happen in Rotovegas.
  • 2 0
 May the hero dirt be with you.
  • 1 1
 May the hero be with you fyp
  • 1 0
 this is really what every scene needs...just one true 'champion' who puts in the passion. thumbs up bro.
  • 1 0
 i hope when i visit i run into him,thanks in advance..counting the days till i head down
  • 1 0
 If everybody in politics rode a bike like this guy, the world would be a much better place.
  • 1 0
 Awesome article Dave. Heaps of thanks and respect for your work.
  • 1 0
 Cannot hate on that. Much Dap
  • 1 0
 Thank you, Dave.





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