Name of the Community: Wellington City
Country: New Zealand
Number of inhabitants: 163,824
Programme started year: 2000
International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year: 2006
www.wellington.govt.nz     

For further information contact:
Name: Laurie Gabites
Institution: Manager City Safety – Wellington City Council
Address: P O Box 2199
City: Wellington
Country: New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 801 3810
Fax: +64 4 801 3124
E-mail: laurie.gabites@wcc.govt.nz
www.wellington.govt.nz 

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

• Children 0 – 14
  There is a strong focus on restraint use through car seat rental schemes available to all caregivers to reduce injuries caused through road crashes to unrestrained children.  There is considerable amount of information available around restraint use and locations where they can be obtained.
  All daycare centres and schools have safety routines and fire drills.  Most primary schools in the city operate school patrols that provide safe crossing of the road adjacent to the school.  Other schools also operate a ‘Walking School Bus’ supported by the community to assist safe travel to and from school.  Cycle helmets are compulsory when cycling in New Zealand.
• Youth 15-24 years:
  Several campaigns and programmes specifically aimed at providing information that improves the safety of this group including reducing opportunities of being victimised.  Much of the material has been aimed at preventing and reducing alcohol misuse and drug use amongst this group. Opportunities have also been identified to provide information around violence prevention, vandalism and general safety information.  The development of safe venues in the city has provided young people with a place to gather.  A Youth council in the city has offered a voice for young people and the opportunity to participate in the affairs of the city.
  Safe transport options have also played a significant part in improving the safety for young people. Youth networks, a youth health service and projects aimed at meeting the needs of young people have been made available. 
  Mobile event vehicles have provided the chance for young people to showcase their talent and have been seen as a way of engaging with young people and encouraging them to participate through music, dance performance and art.  Working with young people around graffiti art has also played a significant role as has encouraging a wide range of dance performance.
• Adults 25-64 years:
  Programmes include information about keeping young people safe and about general safety when visiting the city to suit the adult audience.  Safety information that identifies high risk areas in the home, work and while participating in sport and how to reduce them.  There is also a variety of road safety information and the opportunity to participate in community processes around safety. Community safety audits provide opportunities for community groups and organisations to contribute to safety concerns and subsequent solutions.  
• Older Adults 65+ years:
  There is a strong emphasis on accessibility and the availability of mobility car parks.
  Support for exercise classes for those in older age groups designed to improve mobility are also available.
  Tai Chi classes are held in a variety of locations.

In the following Environments:

• Home:
  Many groups and organisations provide information and support to parents of new born children through community activities and visits.  Discussion groups of parents also provide opportunities for people to meet in their own homes and support one another.
  Injury prevention information is provided to the community with specific information about preventing home-based injuries.
  Fire safety messages associated with fire prevention in the home are available in the community.
• Traffic:
  The Safer Roads project aims to reduce accidents on the city’s roads by one third by 2010.  This is a partnership approach across a wide range of agencies to improve road safety in the city’s neighbourhoods.
   All changes in the community are developed through a community consultation through a series of local meetings that identify concerns, needs and some solutions.
  Changes to speed limits in parts of the city are under consideration.
  Installation of bus only lanes to improve traffic flow and increase pedestrian safety.
• Occupational:
  A number of initiatives introduced that are aimed at injury prevention in the workplace: 
  Health and Safety on most business unit agendas.
  Comprehensive health and safety training.
  Sound reporting systems for notification of injuries.
   ‘Site safe’ is seen as a safety tool in the city with council only engaging contractors who meet those criteria.
  City Safety Officers in the city identify hazards early and report them to ensure early repair and less injuries.
  Areas of high injury reporting such as retail and hospitality sectors, have attracted a scheme to provide information and support to the sector. ‘Shopsafe’ is delivered by City Safety Officers as a part of their role in the city.
• School:  
  Most pre school facilities such as day care facilities and schools have in place a wide range of injury prevention programmes both in the classroom and the playground.
  School patrols have been a tradition at schools for sometime and support the safe environment around the school when children are arriving and departing from school.
  The ‘Walking School Bus’ has provided another example of improving safety for those walking to and from school.
• Sports:
  A joint initiative in the city, ‘Push Play’ aims to increase physical activity and reduce the likelihood of injury particularly amongst the youth population. 
  A high priority of the city is to improve participation in sport and has recently appointed a Manager of Sports Engagement.
  A programme aimed at reducing injuries and harm for sports clubs is in the planning stages. ‘Sports Club Accreditation’ is designed to offer a wide range of information associated with injury prevention, alcohol management and others issues to sports clubs in the city.
• Leisure:
  A number of ‘safe’ venues and locations where young people can gather at which are alcohol free and provide a range of activities.
  Improve safety in the community and participation by young people through the use of music, art and performance. 
• Community:
  Wide use of Crime Prevention through Envirnomental Design (CPTED) as a part of all public space development and redevelopment.
  Working with communities in the development and implementation of safety audits to improve perceptions of safety in those communities.
  There is improved accessibility for a number of population groups that include kerb cuts, audible signals at pedestrian crossings and a mobility parking policy across the city.
  We also work closely with the large housing complexes which we have regarded as communities in their own right. Safety audits have recently been completed at three of the complexes with the community identifying some of the solutions.

 Violence prevention (intentional injuries)

• A Family Violence Network has been established to provide a partnership approach aimed at a reduction in the incidence of family violence and the provision of support for families.
• The Police have established improved responses to family violence in the city.
• The three statutory agencies work closely together to reduce alcohol related harm which has been identified as a contributor to public place violence.
• The local District Health Board has identified ways of improving data collection for alcohol related violence presenting at the emergency department.

Suicide prevention (self-inflected injuries)

• A national strategy has recently been released and we work with existing organisations who provide support, information and training in this area.

Programmes aiming at “High risk-groups”

• Young people with programmes aimed at alcohol safety, safe transport and road safety.
• Residents and visitors using the city are provided with safety information.
• New residents to the city being provided with information that will help them feel a part of the city. 

Surveillance of injuries   

• Wellington Injury Data ACC ThinkSafe Report prepared by the Safe Communities Foundation in December 2004, has provided the baseline data for injury surveillance to support injury prevention needs in the city.  The routinely collected data will enable comparisons over time.  It will also support the development of the strategic approach across the city to injury prevention.
• The report provides injury mortality data, including leading causes of injury deaths, overall rates of injury deaths by age group and comparisons of injury deaths by ward.  Injury hospitalisations for Wellington City are also outlined, including leading causes of injury hospitalisations; overall rates of injury hospitalisations by age group; rates of injury hospitalisations by gender; injury hospitalisations by ethnicity; and comparisons of injury hospitalisations by ward.  Other sources of injury data are also described, including ACC injury statistics, and LTSA road injury statistics. 
• Numbers per year: Between 1993 and 1999, 656 residents of Wellington City died as the result of receiving an injury.  This is equivalent to a crude injury rate of 34 injury deaths per 100,000 person years. This shows that the leading cause of injury deaths was suicide (42%).  Motor vehicle crashes on a public road were the second leading cause of injury death (19%); followed by falls (17%); homicide (6%); and drowning (4%).
• Between 1993 and 2003, 15,144 residents of Wellington City were hospitalised for injury.  The crude injury hospitalisation rate during this period was 861 injury hospitalisations per 100,000 person years.  Males accounted for over half (55%) of the injury hospitalisations.  This shows that the leading cause of injury hospitalisation was falls (45%).  The other leading causes of injury were motor vehicle traffic crashes on a public road (9%), attempted suicide/deliberate self-harm (8%); cutting and piercing (6%); striking an object or person (5%); and assault (4%).
• The population base for Wellington City is 163 824.

Publications

• The authoring and co-authoring of various papers to community safety conferences in New Zealand and internationally.
• Produced information material, pamphlets.
• Safety Audit workbook.
• ‘Stay Safe in the City’ publication provided to residents and visitors.
• A variety of youth related information aimed improving youth safety.

Staff 

Number: 2
Professions: part-time or full-time: Full Time Manager and Safety Advisor
Permanent: 2
Temporary: none
Organisation: Wellington City Council
Specific intersectoral leadership group: City Safety Business Unit and Safety Advisory Group
General public health/health promotion group. 

International commitments:

Study visits: Melbourne and Brisbane.
Participation in Safe Community conferences:  Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland and Wellington.
Hosting Safe Community Conferences:  Part of organising committee for Safer Communities Conference in Auckland and Wellington.