JANUARY EDITION

What's new this month

Welcome back! I hope you all had a fantastic break.

Sadly, as 2022 came to a close, the Ministry of Transport's road count of people killed on New Zealand roads during the year reached a provisional figure of 378. That's 60 more than last year.

That increase is equivalent to an extra two classrooms full of people who were killed on our roads in the last twelve months.

We are committed to working hard to bring down the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads and we have many exciting initiatives planned this year to achieve this goal.

We are rebranding the organisation, revising our principles as well as refreshing our resources, messaging, and merchandise. We will have exciting new initiatives and programmes to help reach our target audiences to ensure the message is reaching more rangatahi.

We look forward to seeing you all and working with you to build a positive road safety culture.

— Donna Govorko, General Manager

What's our Delivery Team up to?

Things are gearing up for our Delivery Team. We have been in deep preparation and planning mode to be ready for Term 1. This is when we really start moving and first get in touch with our rangatahi and schools for the new year.

During this term we will be out on the road visiting schools, running workshops, and helping rangatahi get set up to run the Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD programme in their communities.

Expect to see workshop dates coming out soon, along with tips and tricks for ways to get involved and make a difference. Reach out to our team if you have any questions at all! We look forward to catching up soon!

FENZ award acknowledges Greg's great work.

Senior Firefighter and current Advisor Readiness and Recovery role-holder, Canterbury District, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) Greg Bell came to the last Chch-chat meeting - and brought something extra with him.

Ever the humble chap and reluctant to broadcast - he dropped into the convo that he had recently received a FENZ Celebrating Success award for his outstanding contribution and dedication. Luckily, he brought it along so we could pin him down and get a nice photo.

Greg's involvement with us definitely played a part in his award.

Anyone who knows Greg knows what he has done alongside us and that he continues to support us. Well done Greg - from all at Kaitiaki o Ara!

ChCh-Chat!

In early 2022, Rog started meeting up with George (Community Travel Advisor, Christchurch City Council). Those initial chats were legendary (over a coffee of course!).

They knew each other from Wellington days when both were based there. Less than 12 months later this informal chat has grown to a group of 8 if all can make it on the day. "We're going to need a bigger table!" said Rog.

In all seriousness, the group includes representatives from CCC, ACC and FENZ as well as the Christchurch based Kaitiaki o Ara team with all having an interest in prevention in the road safety sector. This forum provides each party with advance notice of upcoming priorities and events - as far in advance as possible. We all know how important that is. The benefit is that we focus on young road users only. As a group, we are already teeing up mutual support and opportunity across 2023.

Speed Campaign: Through my eyes

"Through My Eyes" is now in its second phase. This campaign focuses on speeding and the consequences of speeding.

It is a broad awareness campaign aimed at all New Zealand drivers, however males aged 18-35 years are overrepresented in death and serious injuries in crashes in which speed is a factor.

Some dates for your calendar

Here are a few for you or your group to work towards.

Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD conference dates:

Christchurch - 11th to 13th April

Wellington - 15th to 17th April

Auckland - 19th to 21st April

Road Safety Week will take place 15-21 May 2023. It will also be a UN Global Road Safety Week

Hello 2023 and a hearty thanks to all who in late December and early January chose us as a place to send their donation. A mighty Kaitiaki o Ara roar of appreciation to:

SK Wellington

CM Richmond

GJ Blenheim

SN Nelson

Sandra Dacey (Upper North Island) email or call 027 279 3130
Renee Leabourn (Central North Island) email or call 027 239 6610
Bobbi Hutchinson (Lower North Island) email or call 021 761 649
Lydia Newlands (Upper South Island) email or call 021 624 198
Mark Unwin (Lower South Island) email or call 027 451 1253