Country: New Zealand
Number of inhabitants: 66,600 (2004)
Programme started year: 2000
International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation Year: 2005
Info address on : http://www.newplymouthnz.com/the+council/injury+safe.htm

For further information contact:
Channa Perry
Safe Community Programme Manager New Plymouth Injury safe (NpiS)
Private Bag 2016
New Plymouth 4620
New Zealand
0064 6 753 7777 ext 8792
Email: npis@tdhb.org.nz
Info address for community as a whole: http://www.newplymouthnz.com/ 

The programme covers the following safety activities:
For the age group

• Children 0 – 14:
  Falls prevention caregiver education group sessions
  Falls prevention caregiver education group sessions
  Falls prevention caregiver education via home visits, safety checklists and group sessions
  Falls burns and poisons education kit for pre-schools
  Poison prevention via health professional advice to caregivers
  All injury home checks and safety device installation
  Child restraint caregiver education group sessions
  Child restraint installation clinics
  Child restraint road side checks
  Child restraint subsidised rental schemes
  Child restraint road side checks
  Booster seat promotions
  Stepping Out
  Riding By
  Walking School Bus
  Bikewise
  Out and About
  Playground safety seminars for school managers
  Playground safety assessments
  Capable Country Kids school farm safety resource
  From the Horse’s Mouth riding safety resource
  Horsing around rider education        
• Youth  15  – 24 years:
  Speed reduction education  
  Driver licensing
  Safety belt campaigns
  Think Before You Buy Under 18s Drink Campaign
  Thinksmart Sports Clubs accreditation programme
  Schools agricultural safety competition
  Health and Safety Induction programme – HSE Centre
• Adults 25 – 64 years:
  Slips Trips and Falls awareness programme
  Waitara Smoke Alarm project
  Down with Speed campaign
  Safety belt campaigns
  Driver fatigue campaign
  Intersection campaign
  Health and Safety programmes – HSE Centre
• Elderly 65+ years:
  Falls prevention – modified Tai Chi programmes
  Falls prevention – Age Concern home safety checks
  Falls prevention awareness campaign
  Falls prevention – home based exercise programme for 80+ years
  Safe with Age – older drivers’ programme
  Driver fatigue campaign
  Falls prevention caregiver education via home visits, safety checklists and group sessions
  Falls burns and poisons education kit for pre-schools
  Poison prevention via health professional advice to caregivers
  

At the following envirnoments:

• Home: 
  Slips, trips and falls prevention
  Child poisoning prevention
  Fire and burns prevention
• Traffic:
  Speed reduction
  Fatigue awareness
  Safety belt and restraint use
  Intersection awareness
  Driver licensing
  Pedestrian safety
  Cycle safety
• Occupational:
  Health and safety induction and training centre
  Agricultural safety
  Health and safety managers’ support
• School:
  Playground safety
  Road safety
• Sports:
  Thinksmart sports clubs
• Leisure:
  Horse rider education
  Youth access to alcohol programme.

Violence prevention:

• a needs assessment currently underway.

Suicide prevention:

• a national strategy recently released.

Programmes aiming at “High-risk groups”

• Children 0 – 4 years, home safety
• Youth 15 – 24 years, road safety, alcohol-related harm
• Maori, children 0 – 4 years, home safety; all ages, road safety
• Older adults 65+ years, falls prevention
• Low income families, home safety.

Surveillance of injuries

In 2001 the community safety coalition in New Plymouth presented the findings of a comprehensive injury needs assessment to the District Council and wider community.  We are committed to repeating this process every five years.

• The information in the needs assessment report comes from three main sources: 
  1.   research literature and other documentation on previous New Zealand and overseas community injury prevention programmes,
  2.   available statistical data on injuries in New Plymouth District,
  3.   consultation with key people and organisations in New Plymouth District with an interest in injury and injury prevention.
• The report also examined:
  New Zealand Health Information Service data relating to admissions of New Plymouth District residents to New Zealand public hospitals,
  Injury data relating to attendances of New Plymouth District residents at Taranaki Health Emergency Departments
  ACC claims data for New Plymouth District for the most recent financial year (1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001).  It covers all new “entitlements” claims, including weekly compensation, vocational and social rehabilitation, independence allowance, death benefits and elective surgery,
  Injury crash statistics for New Plymouth District, taken from the most recent local Road Safety Report (LTSA 2001a),
  Information on reported assaults in New Plymouth District available from local Police crime statistics.

The population base for the needs assessment was 66,600.
There were an average of 30 injury deaths per year between 1996 and 1998.
There were an average of 1,131 injury hospitalizations between 1998 and 2000.
There were 6,531 emergency department attendances for injury in the year 2000.

• Since the establishment of the Safe Communities Foundation of New Zealand, a number of useful resources have become available including the New Plymouth Injury Data Report which provides our community with detailed injury data as follows:
  -A crude injury rate of 45 deaths per 100,000 person years.
  -A crude injury hospitalization rate of 1,227 per 100,000 person years.

Publications

• Community Injury Prevention in the New Plymouth District – Assessing the Needs, Research and Evaluation Services (New Plymouth) in association with HealthSearch (Auckland), 2001.
• The Injury Prevention Network of Aotearoa New Zealand (IPNANZ) has created many opportunities to share information about our programme.  The constituent members of our community safety coalitionhave participated fully in every IPNANZ conference, presenting at least three papers at each as well as poster papers and displays highlighting some of our projects.  Four abstracts involving our community have been accepted for the upcoming IPNANZ national conference in November 2005.
• Our project coalitions, most notably Kidsafe Taranaki, Positive Ageing New Plymouth and the Drinksafe4youth team have presented at numerous forums in New Zealand and disseminated information about projects through various newsletters and on the internet. 

Staff

The application has been developed by an intersectoral group, New Plymouth injurySafe (NPiS), which comprises representatives of New Plymouth District Council, Taranaki District Health Board (TDHB), New Plymouth Police, Tui Ora Ltd. Maori Development Organisation, Kidsafe Taranaki Trust and ACC. 

Personnel resourcing for delivery of injury prevention projects involves a mix of dedicated staff, contracted providers and in-kind contributions from partner organisations and from within the community who contribute to projects despite injury prevention not being their core business.

There are staff equivalent to 4.2 FTE dedicated to injury prevention in New Plymouth based in ACC, the Health Promotion Unit, NPDC Community Development and Tui Ora.  A component of Police hours is allocated to road safety.  A road safety co-ordinator position for Taranaki is funded by LTNZ and there are two Fire Safety Officers operating in the region.  In addition to these positions, agencies such as Plunket integrate some injury prevention into their work as do other teams within Health Promotion, such as the programme to reduce alcohol related harm and the health promoting schools team.  A component of the work undertaken by the Department of Labour, Occupational Safety and Health is preventative. 

International Commitments:

Study visits: Swedish Rescue Services Agency, November 2005.
Participation in Safe Community Conferences:  Co- author ‘Safe Communities Foundation New Zealand and Safe Communities: Examples from the field’. 14th International Safe Community Conference.  Bergen, Norway, June, 2005.
Injury Prevention Network Aotearoa New Zealand Conference, Wellington, November 2005.
Hosting Safe Community Conferences: None
Hosting “Travelling Seminars”: None
Other: Input into presentation at 8^th Australian National Injury Prevention & Control Conference, Sydney Australia. September, 2006