May Edition

Tēnā tātou,

Another month down team! I hope you all enjoyed celebrating New Zealand Music Month and supporting our incredible local artists.

Following Conference, Term 2 has been a busy one on the road. There must be something in the air because I’ve seen a huge increase in student engagement and resource orders lately.

Our leadership programme applications have now closed for 2026. We’ve welcomed 2 new members to The Māori Advisory Rōpū and the Delivery Team are gearing up to do interviews for the 2026/27 cohort of National Leaders. We’ve received the highest number of NLP applications since I’ve been at Kaitiaki o Ara / SADD, which is pretty exciting and a real reminder of how rangatahi are motivated to create positive change in their schools and communities.

Plans are brewing and I can’t wait to see all of this mahi come to life!

Noho ora mai,

Bobbi Hutchinson-Peeters 😎 - Delivery Lead

Monthly Theme: Restraints

Every trip starts with one simple decision - buckling up. Seatbelts are one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce serious injuries and save lives on our roads. In New Zealand, around one third of people killed in crashes each year were not wearing a seatbelt, despite restraints significantly reducing the risk of death and serious injury.

This month, we’re focusing on restraints and the ripple effect that comes from making safe choices. Wearing your seatbelt doesn’t just protect you - it sets the standard for your passengers, your friends, and the people around you. Small actions can influence others more than you think.

Take some time this month to think about the habits and attitudes around restraints in your school, friend group, or community. What messages could you share? What conversations could you start? Sometimes the simplest reminders are the ones that stick.

Delivery Team Spotlight

Term 2 has been a busy one for our incredible SADD students, with rangatahi across the country getting involved in initiatives such as Road Safety Week, Pink Shirt Day, and Youth Week.

A major highlight this term was the launch of a new SADD group at Ormiston Senior College, with students already showing great enthusiasm and leadership.

During Road Safety Week, Te Puke High School ran a range of creative activities including mock parking tickets with positive road safety messages, quizzes, daily notices, and a photo booth. In Hastings, St John's College Hastings hosted quizzes, educational games, and discussions about road safety experiences, while Sacred Heart College Napier got involved with a road safety Kahoot! quiz.

In Christchurch, Mark visited University of Canterbury to explore the possibility of launching a “UC SADD” club. Supported by the Christchurch City Council, a campus BBQ helped spark strong interest, with more than a page of student sign-ups for the potential club.

A special mention goes to the students from Waitaki Boys' High School who, alongside Constable Jay Morris, were featured in the local Oamaru newspaper for educating drivers about speed limits around school buses while handing out chocolate fish.

It’s been fantastic seeing so many students creating positive conversations and action around road safety this term.

Olivia Adie is a Road Safety Hero!

We are incredibly proud to celebrate our Youth Representative, Olivia Adie, who recently received the Youth category Road Safety Hero Award during Road Safety Week.

The Yellow Ribbon Road Safety Alliance Youth Road Safety Hero Award (sponsored by Road Safety Education Limited) recognises people who are making a meaningful difference to road safety outcomes through leadership, advocacy, and community action.

Olivia embodies all of that and more. Her leadership, passion, and commitment to creating safer roads for young people continue to make a real impact, and we couldn’t be more proud to have her representing youth voice within SADD.

Congratulations Olivia — a thoroughly deserved recognition!

Introducing Dana!

We’re excited to officially introduce Dana, the newest member of the Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD team! Based in Auckland, Dana has already started connecting with schools and young people across the Upper North Island as our new Programme Delivery Lead. Head over to the blog to learn more about her background, what brought her to SADD, and her passion for youth empowerment and road safety.

Crash Analysis impact session is now live!

We’ve just launched a new impact session that gives participants the opportunity to step into the role of crash investigators, exploring and understanding the factors that contribute to a crash. Participants analyse the facts of a real crash, helping them think critically about risk, the chain of events that can lead to harm, and the choices that help keep themselves and their peers safe on the road.

The session is designed to spark meaningful discussion and reflection, with supporting slides, video content, and facilitator resources available to help anyone run the activity in a classroom, group, or community setting.

Check out our events page of our website for all the key dates to pop in your 2026 calendars! Our Delivery Team are working hard to secure Term 2 workshop dates so keep an eye on this page as more dates and locations will be added every week.

We’ve got a massive round of applause for the legends who backed us this month! 🙌

LH, HW, AS & PY from Auckland, CW from Hamilton, DG from Eskdale, ES from Inglewood, YJ from Nelson and DB from Dunedin!

Thanks for the generosity. Stay safe out there!

Dana Carter (Upper North Island) email or call 022 319 6101
Melanie Wallace (Central North Island) email or call 027 239 6610
Bobbi Hutchinson-Peeters (Lower North Island) email or call 021761 649
Mark McCallum-Unwin (Christchurch Area) email or call 027 451 1253
Lauren Robinson (South Island) email or call 021 624 198