Rhys Haman: “It brings me sheer joy.”

Words by Mathew (FTN’s marketing guy).

Rhys has become a close friend of FTN since adopting his Streetdog in 2023, and it’s been pure joy having him in the pack. I caught up with him in Mount Maunganui for a coffee, and wow, did I see him in his element.

First off, he introduced me to Joel, the owner of Eddie’s Brunch Parlour, where we were meeting. Then, he struck up a conversation with the lady sitting next to us. It was one of those interactions that left both of them noticeably in a positive mood. The spontaneous connections didn’t stop there - on our way out, he stopped to chat with some friendly folk admiring his bike. Everyone was left smiling.

Next, we rode into town, and once again, Rhys found himself chatting with some tourists off a cruise ship. Then, a couple of his friends walked by, and just like that, he switched gears, conversing with them in fluent te reo Māori. The tourists were so taken aback by his warmth that they summed up the whole encounter by saying, "You are the most Kiwi person we’ve ever met,” before asking for a photo.



Rhys's contagious positivity starts to make sense when you learn about his priorities in life. "My biggest interest is my whānau [family], but right up there are my health and wellbeing, and encouraging others to invest in their own health—and the wellbeing of those around them," he says. "I'm big on reaching out to people to see if I can help, and I try to lead by example. I want to show that you can be my age, still be active, mentally sharp, and doing stuff."

He goes on to say “I’ve become very aware of the te ao Māori way of looking at things. Kaitiaki, we are just caretakers. And I've become very conscious of this in the last few years. Especially now that I’m a koro [grandfather] with a little mokopuna [grandson]. I just want to leave the World in a better place and show that you can make the future better.”

In his spare time, Rhys mentors at-risk youth, taking a listening-first approach. He tries to model good values in his responses, and you can imagine the impact his contagious positivity has on those he mentors.

Rhys's day job is working for Ceres Organics, checking in on stores that sell their products. I joined him on a visit to the Simply Organic store in Tauranga, and it was clear that his positive energy extends to his work as well. You could see the strong relationships he’s built, and I wasn’t surprised to hear that Rhys and his colleagues challenge each other to give a random, genuine compliment to a stranger every day—and then report back on how it went. Another perfect example of spreading positivity.



Being such a positive force, I was also curious what Rhys says when someone asks him about his Streetdog.

“They usually start by saying, ‘That’s a beautiful bike,’ and the first thing I say is, ‘Yeah, and it’s Kiwi-made.’ That’s the very first thing I mention. It’s something uniquely Kiwi. It’s not something you order on bloody Temu, or that comes through the port in container loads. It’s Kiwi-made. It’s us. And then I tell them about the sheer joy I get out of this bike when I’m riding it.”

He goes on: “It’s functional, but it’s more about enjoyment. I love sharing how good it makes me feel, and that’s why I say to people, ‘Jump on and have a ride.’ For example, the waiter at our Thai restaurant the other night was eyeing it up, so I said, ‘Dude, get on it. You’ll have to wipe the grin off your face when you’re done with it. You’ll love it.’”



“It’s the ultimate commuter for me. Unless it’s pissing down with rain, I always ride it to the gym, and it’s functional, because I can carry all my gym gear, my water bottle, chalk for my pull-ups, and whatnot. If I’m going for a hīkoi [walk] up Mauoa [ Mount Maunganui], I throw my walking shoes and a spare top in there. If I’m going to the beach, I pack my boardies and towel. If we’re grabbing takeaways for dinner, I’ll jump on and ride down to pick it up. Even yesterday, when I had to go to the dentist, I don’t have to drive around doing my head in looking for a car park. I just pull up right outside and park it.”

Rhys also shared how, at traffic lights, people often pull up beside him to admire his bike. He recalls one conversation where someone asked how old his bike was. To their surprise, he replied, “It’s brand new,” and the conversation flowed from there.