Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD Newsletter October 2024

OCTOBER EDITION

What's new this month

Quite honestly, the year has gone by so quickly, we have already arrived at our penultimate newsletter for 2024.

This month you will find treasures like “sharing the road with trucks” - an ever present topic at any time but even more so as summer and the holiday season approaches.

Also, the extremely important part of the SADD group life-cycle - “Passing the Torch”. Make sure your plans are in place to keep up momentum and leave a legacy for those who follow.

NZTA have introduced new video resources covering drugs, alcohol and seatbelts. Check them out below!

We had our first ever (I think), video link-up with an AA District Council (I’m not sure how they got everyone from North Otago in the picture - but they did!). We close the loop on SAFER September 2024 and hosted an international SADD video meeting with Canada and the US!

Finally, we introduce something that’s been at least 2 years in the making - our case-study web page. A personal labour of love for me!

So - settle back and enjoy!

Rog - Engagement and Communications Lead, Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD

Monthly theme:
Sharing our roads

For young drivers still building confidence on the road, sharing space with large trucks can feel intimidating. It’s important to remember that trucks have limited visibility and longer stopping distances. To stay safe, give trucks plenty of space, avoid lingering in blind spots, and always pass carefully. Confidence comes with experience, but practicing these simple tips will help you navigate safely around trucks and other heavy vehicles, keeping you and others on the road safe.

DRIVE.govt have some more great tips on keeping safe on the road with trucks and other heavy vehicles, including a quick quiz to test your knowledge. Check it out here: Trucks and buses | Drive

"Passing the Torch" for a smooth transition to 2025

The end of 2024 is fast approaching (zooooom….where did it go?) and it's time to set your SADD group up for success in 2025. A smooth leadership transition is key to maintaining momentum.

You can prepare your group for 2025 by passing on essential contacts and information to your Delivery Lead here at Kaitiaki o Ara, updating plans for next year, and fostering a collaborative team environment. Also, you can ensure the new group leader is well supported by connecting them with your Delivery Lead and key community partners.

Now is the time to reflect on your achievements, share your knowledge, and empower the next generation of leaders. By doing this, you’ll not only strengthen SADD for 2025, but also leave a lasting legacy of safety and leadership.

It’s also a two-way street and we want to hear from those who are taking on a leadership role for a whole new year. Perhaps you have something to tell us that worked well for you and your group that we can share with others? Let us know.

Getting to know North Otago AA District Council

We have long enjoyed a very fruitful relationship with North Otago AA District Council which includes students from Waitaki Girls' High School, Waitaki Boys' High School and St Kevin's College (Ōamaru) in their monthly meetings.

In a previous life, Nadine Jellyman was a SADD Regional Leader as well as an extremely active SADD student in her own group who attended the District Council meetings. Now, as a full councillor, Nadine invited Donna, Roger and new South Island Programme Delivery Lead Lauren to dial in via video conferencing to meet the whole of the District Council so we could put names to faces and hear about current projects, schools activities and future planning. It was a great experience for all on the Kaitiaki o Ara side - especially as there were 5 students present including Maddi Byrne (Waitaki) who we will wave farewell to at the end of the year.

From memory, this was the first video meeting of its kind with a District Council and we’d love to repeat the opportunity and with other AA District Councils.

Scroll down to the Case Study article to learn more about SADD student involvement with North Otago AA District Council.

Activity highlights from SAFER September

SAFER September wrapped up at the end of Term 3 and the amazing activities that took place across the country is impressive!

We’ve popped some of these activity highlights into a blog post which you can check out here - That’s a wrap on SAFER September 2024 — Students Against Dangerous Driving

We would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who participated in our month of action and conversation. Your contribution was appreciated, whether that be through running activities, promoting messages on social media, fundraising for SADD or simply having crucial conversations about road safety and keeping each other safe during our journeys.

Every action counts and together, we can create a culture of responsibility, care, and safety on New Zealand’s roads.

New video resources from NZTA

NZTA have created an awesome new series of educational video clips that address the key road safety issues of drug and alcohol impairment, and seatbelt use. These videos are a great resource to share with your peers to help them understand the risks, and to help promote healthy conversations about these often difficult topics. Check them out!

Illegal drugs | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (nzta.govt.nz)

Alcohol | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (nzta.govt.nz)

Seatbelts | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (nzta.govt.nz)

Our new case-study
web page

A web page long in the making. We set out, what seems like ages ago, to work with a select bunch of students to produce case-studies focusing of their achievements and learning points.

Now you can enjoy them too. Some studies were with one or more students. Some took a few weeks or months, whilst others have been on the go spanning two years or more.

Topics include developing transferable skills and transitioning from school to the wider world, relationship building and collaboration, youth-led events and working alongside non-Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD students and their projects.

There are others on the go and examples in the spotlight will increase in time. There are some truly inspiring and impressive achievements spread across the current studies.

Click below to access and enjoy!

Case-study — Students Against Dangerous Driving

National Leaders engage with US and Canada

Other side of the world… no problem!

Recently, our year 12 National Leaders had the unique opportunity to connect with international SADD youth road safety advocates during their leadership hui. This inspiring exchange allowed students to gain global perspectives on road safety challenges and strategies, whilst having the opportunity to talk about highlights, popular SADD activities and approaches that we use here in Aotearoa.

Our leaders asked questions and shared insights with their counterparts in USA and Canada and found they shared a lot of the same experiences. One thing is for sure, no matter what side of the globe you are on - everyone agreed that one of the most effective ways to entice people into a SADD meeting is to make sure you have FOOD!

A big thank-you to the following people who for one reason or another chose our organisation to send donations to this month!

MS and CL from Auckland, HG from Hastings, NL from Upper Hutt and LDW from Christchurch.

Your contributions are much appreciated and you have helped us by investing in student resources and opportunities across Aotearoa.

Ngā mihi.

Kerry Campbell (Upper North Island) email or call 022 319 6101
Renee Leabourn (Central North Island) email or call 027 239 6610
Bobbi Hutchinson (Lower North Island) email or call 021 761 649
Lauren Robinson (Upper South Island) email or call 021 624 198
Mark McCallum-Unwin (Lower South Island) email or call 027 451 1253