Go anywhere? Chairs to that
Ahipara mouth artist Kevin Griffiths might not have the use of his hands but it hasn’t stopped him from doing the things he loves most.
Griffiths often visits Ninety Mile Beach to fish but his standard wheelchair was always getting stuck in the sand.
Frustrated by its limitations, Griffiths teamed up with his fitter and turner brother Dave to build a six-wheel-drive all-terrain electric wheelchair.
“We wanted it to be powerful enough to plough through sand so I could go fishing,” he said.
“So, we [went] for a six-wheeldrive driven by high torque electric motors.”
Now, Griffiths can venture almost anywhere he pleases, the wheelchair tackling a variety of surfaces from sand, beach rocks, mud and farmland with ease.
Disability advocate and Tiaho Trust chief executive Jonny Wilkinson said the invention is “non-disabling” for wheelchair users.
“I think that individuals . . . have impairments but its the environment or attitudes that disables them,” he said.
“So, if you’re a wheelchair user and you’re in an environment that a wheelchair can’t get through it’s a disabling environment.
“Something like that six-wheeled wheelchair is incredibly nondisabling and allows access to the wonderful outdoors . . . around Northland.”
Griffiths broke his neck during a swimming accident at 13 years old and has been confined to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic since.
Painting with his mouth, Griffiths creates paintings of the surrounding countryside and sells them worldwide.
Selling for $28,000+GST, the brothers have sold 80 of their allterrain wheelchairs in New Zealand and five in Australia, each one tailored to its owner.
Named 6X6 Explorer, the wheelchair started off as an import from the United States but the Griffiths brothers felt it could be greatly improved.
A new Auto Sport seat with a four-point safety harness was installed, along with fold-up padded armrests and a low footrest area for easy access.
The wheelchair has a top speed of walking pace and has low gearing likened to a four-wheel-drive vehicle in low range.
The list of gadgets don’t stop there either, it can also be fitted with a 2500lb winch at the front and back to help conquer more difficult terrain.
But the wheelchair isn’t only for those with spinal injuries, Griffiths said.
“We feel it is also very suitable for the elderly, such as those who have had a stroke, or farmers . . . no longer able to ride a quad bike,” he said.