Waimakariri District Council is the the 2nd designated Safe Community in New Zealand and number 47 in the world. Designation ceremony 1999. Redesignation 2006: re-designation application received September 2006, Site Visit November 1st-2nd, Designation Ceremony 2nd November.

Name of the Community: Waimakariri District
Country: New Zealand
Number of inhabitants: 43,000
Programme started year: 1994
International safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year: 1999 Re-designation Year: 2006

For further information contact:

Sandra James
Community Team Leader
Waimakariri District Council
Private Bag 1005, Rangiora,
North Canterbury
New Zealand
Ph 0064 3 313 6136,  fax  0064 3 313 4432
sandra@wmk.govt.nz
www.waimakariri.govt.nz/  (for whole community)

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

• Children: 0 - 14 years: 
  Toy safety promotion through media and libraries
  Water-based rescue and survival days for local schools
  Provision of resources for Water Safety Education in Primary Schools
  “Down the Back Paddock” rural safety education programme for primary schools
  Supermarket trolley falls campaign
  Escape Plans and supporting resources into primary schools
  Paracetamol poisoning and general poisoning campaigns for primary schools 
  Backing display promoting driveway safety
  Under- Five Falls Prevention education in early childhood centres
  Maintain awareness of use and correct fitting of child restraints in vehicles 
  Safe Cycling practices promoted in schools
  Correct cycle helmet fitting campaigns in schools 
  Promotion of fire alarms and safe temperature for hot water 
  Safety displays at public events 
  Media articles regarding child safety
  Promotion of road safety policies in schools
  Anti-bullying project in schools
  Promotion of health campaigns such as ‘Cycle Helmet safety week’ 
  Child safety product guide published 
  ‘Play it Safe, Sport’ project focusing on safe sport, and influencing sports clubs to    develop policies for safety in sport
  Facilitating sports injury prevention workshops and sports first aid workshops 
  Submissions to Territorial Local Authority on safer roading environments 
  Influencing playground policy of Schools, Council and public providers of playground equipment 
  Consultation on playground safety and design 
  Parenting Programmes supported 
  Facilitating playground safety workshops 
  Co-ordinated local Safekids campaign activities 
  Prepared and distributed safety tips for insertion in Early Childhood Centre and School newsletters
  Mural involving 85 children’s water safety messages

• Youth: 15 - 24 years:
  

  Unexpected End of Formula Youth Worker Project
  Schools Attendance Project
  Teen Support Project
  Road Crash days at High schools
  Youth driving safe driving skills workshops

•  Adults: 25 - 64 years:
  

  Campaign to address DIY–related falls in men ages 40 - 49
  Support for Coastguard Boating Education
  Media and promotional support for the setting up of a Lifejacket hire facility through local Coastguard
  Media campaign around fire safety
  Rural safety Column in local newspaper
  Electric blanket testing set up
  Smoke alarms projects, community-wide
  Training for Police, midwives, retailers and members of the community on the correct use of child restraints
  ‘Chaos at the school gate’ project aimed at parents picking children up safely from school
  Distribution of information on trampoline safety 
  Rural drivers campaign targeting winter driving
  Media campaign targeting correct driver behaviour at intersections 
  Drug dump campaign - targeting the safe disposal of unwanted medicines
  Child safety product guide delivered to every household
  Host responsibility programme and charter with hotels and sports clubs within the district promoting sober driving

• Older Adults: 65+ years:
  Older persons Help Book
  Support for Tai Chi and Otago Exercise Programme delivery in the Waimakariri     District
  Safe With Age Driving programme
  Neighbourhood Support

At the following environments:

• Home:
  DIY falls campaign
  Paracetamol poisoning campaign
  Child Safety Product Guide
  Drug dump campaigns
  Family Violence Awareness Campaigns
  Neighbourhood Support
  Kidsafe Week
  Smoke Alarm project
• Traffic:
  -  Campaigns around winter driving; inattention; tiredness; driving sober; consequences of road crashes;
  -   Pedestrian Safety.
• Occupational: No
• School:
  Traffic Safety Policies;
  Playground Policies;
  Correct Cycle helmet fitting and usage;
  Anti-bullying Programme,
  Fire Safety; escape plans and Smoke Alarm project
  Down the Back Paddock Rural Safety,
  Survival and Rescue Water Safety Education Programmes

• Sports:
  Development of Safety –related criteria, and support for Waimakariri Sports Awards,
  Support for Sport Canterbury’s Club Mark and SMOSS Courses
  Injury Prevention Policies within sports clubs; 
  Sober driving messages promoted at sports clubs.

• Leisure:
  Playground Policies;
  Water safety messages;
  Consultation on safe playground design.
  Support for Coastguard Boating Education
  Media and promotional support for the setting up of a Lifejacket hire facility through local Coastguard
  Collaborative development of a walking Map for Kaiapoi, including promotion of Safe Walking

• Rural:
  Regular Rural safety column in local newspaper
  Support for programmes aimed at first-time rural property owners
  Distribution of Rural safety flyers through rates notices
  “Down the Back Paddock” rural safety programme

Violence prevention

Anti-bullying project in schools and the wider community
Extended Liquor Bans
Crime Cameras
Community work (restorative justice) programme for young offenders under 17, targeting mainly property related offences.
YATA (Youth Access to Alcohol) groups.

Suicide prevention

Youth Workers
Social Services
Health Providers
Community discussion underway following release of national strategy

Programmes aiming at "high risk-groups"

Pre-school children
School children
Young people
Families
Women
Older adults

Surveillance of injuries

• Land Transport Safety Authority maintain a database of traffic crash involvement within the district identifying location, ages, types of road users, causes, injury and environmental factors.
  Numbers per year: In 1997 there were 150 recorded road crashes. This resulted in 5 fatal, 24 serious and 69 minor casualties
  Population base: 35 000
  Started year: 1994
• Police keep data on frequency and cause of injury.
• The Safer Community Council collect data through record keeping from youth project workers.
• Local GP’s [Doctors] collect and collate injury data from their own clients and some national hospitalisation figures are collected. Discussions have begun on collecting statistics on hospitalisations statistics specifically for this district.
• Injury Prevention Waimakariri annually contract a statistician to collect, collate and report on local injury statistics, sourced from School Accident Registers, the IPRU (Injury Prevention Research Unit), and ACC Claim statistics. These form the basis of our annual planning

Publications

• Children of the Waimakariri. A Survey of needs and services. August 1997;
• Waimakariri District Safer Community Council [Crime Prevention] Community Safety Profile. January 1999;
• The Waimakariri Community Youth Worker Pilot Project - An Evaluation. November 1997;
• Waimakariri District Road Safety Report 1993 -1997 –LTSA publication;
• Waimakariri District Injury Prevention Needs Assessment. January 1999;
• Waimakariri District Road Safety Strategy [Draft].
• Safe Waimakariri Community Team Projects and Programmes June 2000-June 2001.

Produce information material, pamphlets

• The Safe Waimakariri Community Team publishes on a quarterly basis a newsletter which is distributed widely within the district;
• Child Safety Product Guide. 1996;
• Play it Safe, Sport. A game plan for safe sport. 1998;
• Play it Safe, Sport guidelines. 1999;
• Safe Waimakariri Community Team, brochure. 1996;
• Road Safety Brochures;
• WHO re-accreditation document (2006).

Staff

• Organisation: Waimakariri District Safer Community Council
  Permanent: One
  Professions: Representatives from Health, Youth, New Zealand Police, Department of Corrections, Victim Support, NZ Children and Young Persons Service, Waimakariri District Council, New Zealand Work and Income Support, Iwi, Presbyterian Support Services, Waimakariri Community Development Trust and community representatives.
  Specific intersectoral leadership group: Yes
• Organisation: Injury Prevention Waimakariri
  Permanent: One Programme Co-ordinator at 30 hours per week and one Rural Co-ordinator at 16 hours per week
  Professions: Representatives from Plunket, Doctor, Community and Public Health,  Accident Compensation Corporation, St John, Police, Schools, Waimakariri District Council.
  Specific intersectoral leadership group: Yes
• Organisation: Waimakariri District Road Safety Co-ordinating Committee.
  Permanent: One
  Professions: Waimakariri District Council, Land Transport Safety Authority, New Zealand Police, Transit New Zealand, Automobile Association New Zealand, Safe Rangiora, Safe With Age, Canterbury Regional Council, Hurunui District Council.
  Specific intersectoral leadership group: Yes

International Commitments

Study Visits:
Hume and La Trobe Districts were visited in Australia in 1997 and 1998.
Participation in Safe Communities Conferences: Safe Comm 5 & World Injury Prevention Conference in 1997 in Melbourne; Australian Injury Prevention Conference in Melbourne in 1998; World Injury Prevention Conference in Amsterdam in 1998; Safe Community Networking Meeting in Auckland in 2007. Attending the Asia/Pacific Injury Prevention Conference in Waitakere, 1999
Hosting Safe Community Conferences: Currently supporting the planning for the 2008 International safe Community Conference in Christchurch.
Hosting Travelling seminars: Proposed for 2008
Other: Liaise with Safe Communities in NZ and Internationally