APRIL/MAY EDITION

What’s new this month

Wow, what an amazing Month April was! Our team has been busy preparing and delivering our annual conferences. Students came from all over NZ to create new resources and learn more about how they can empower their peers to prevent loss on our roads. Keep reading to find out more.

We continue to celebrate our 40th, see the great article in the AA Directions Magazine - Celebrating SADD's 40th anniversary More exciting celebrations to come, watch this space!

The delivery team are ready to start Term 2 workshops! Get in touch and let them know what you are doing this term.

Road Safety Week is here, 12-16th May. If you haven’t already done so, please sign up on the Brake website - Road Safety Week! - Brake New Zealand . Please share any activities you do during this week. It’s a great opportunity to support this campaign to help raise awareness about road safety.

And let’s not forget that our youth insight survey has been collecting valuable insights into what youth are influenced by when it comes to road safety, full results will be revealed soon.

Finally, if you are a year 12 please apply to become one of our awesome Leaders, applications are open now, what are you waiting for!

Donna Govorko – General Manager

Monthly theme: Restraints

Every time you get into a car, you're making a choice that could save your life. Wearing a seatbelt is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect yourself on the road.

It only takes a few seconds to buckle up, but those seconds could make all the difference in an emergency. Whether you're the driver or a passenger, wearing your seatbelt ensures you're properly secured in your seat, helping to prevent dangerous ejections or collisions with the interior of the vehicle.

Remember, seatbelt safety isn’t just for adults—children, too, need to be in the right car seat or booster for their age and size. Make sure everyone in your vehicle is properly restrained, no matter how short the trip.

Let's all commit to being safe on the road—buckle up every time, every ride!

Stay safe, stay secure, and set the example for others. Head to Seatbelts | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi for more information and resources about seat belts.

Delivery Team Highlights!

The Delivery Team were stoked to see such incredible enthusiasm for youth road safety advocacy at our recent annual conferences in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) and Cambridge! So many rangatahi came with big ideas and left with awesome plans for the term ahead.

To help turn those ideas into action, SADD Delivery Leads will be out and about over the next couple of months running Term 2 workshops. This term, we're all about mahi tahi—working together to maximise impact, turn good SADD activities into great ones, and reflect on what’s working so we can keep getting better.

There are also a few new workshop options on offer this term, depending on individual needs and interests, so groups should keep a close eye on their inbox for a message from the SADD team.

Leadership applications

Keen to make a real difference?
If you're a Year 12 student passionate about speaking up, driving change, and making our roads safer, this is your moment. Join SADD’s student leadership programmes and be part of a movement that empowers young people to lead, advocate, and inspire. You’ll grow your skills in public speaking, event planning, teamwork, and leadership — all while making a real impact in your school and community.

Applications are open now and close on 30 May. It’s super easy — just head to Student Leaders — Students Against Dangerous Driving and fill out the online form.

We’re also taking applications for the SADD Māori Advisory Rōpū, open to students from any year level. If you’re passionate about improving road safety outcomes for rangatahi Māori and making sure SADD aligns with best practice to support that, we’d love to hear from you too.

Got questions? Flick an email to mark@sadd.org.nz — we’re happy to help!

Get Involved!

Road Safety Week

This year’s theme is Be a Road Safety Hero - a chance to celebrate the people who help make our roads safer and support others after crashes, while also reminding each of us that we all have a part to play.

From school crossing wardens to emergency responders, engineers to everyday rangatahi making smart choices - heroes are everywhere. During Road Safety Week, SADD students can get involved by running events, recognising local road safety heroes, and using their voices to champion safer journeys for all.

This year’s campaign also ties in with UN Global Road Safety Week, which highlights the need to protect vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians. It’s a great opportunity to speak up, take action, and show leadership in your community - make sure to reach out to your Delivery Lead for help with planning!

We love seeing the mahi our students are doing - so don’t forget to send your photos and videos to your Delivery Lead so we can help amplify your road safety messages across Aotearoa!

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Youth Week

Youth Week is a nationwide celebration of rangatahi—a week packed with events, campaigns and creativity, all organised by young people, for young people. It’s a time to shine a light on the talents, passion and success of youth across Aotearoa.

Youth Week is the perfect chance for SADD students to step up and use their voices to amplify youth road safety advocacy. Whether it’s hosting a lunchtime event, sharing powerful messages on social media, or partnering with your local council or community, Youth Week gives you the platform to show just how much mahi young people are doing to create safer roads for everyone.

Check out the Ara Taiohi website for more information here: About Youth Week - Ara Taiohi

Reflecting on Conference 2025

Our recent SADD conferences were packed with energy, connection, and powerful moments of youth-led action. From inspiring student mahi to epic activities, our student leaders brought the spirit of road safety and leadership to life!

Check out all the highlights, stories, and photos from the week in our latest blog post 👉 Conference Highlights 2025

Thanks to everyone who made it unforgettable!

Thanks for having your say

A huge thank you to everyone who took part in our recent youth survey—your voice matters, and we're excited to dive into the insights you've shared. Your feedback helps shape the future of road safety and youth leadership in Aotearoa.

Keep an eye out—results will be shared soon! 👀

🎉 Congratulations to our three prize winners- Ella, Winnie and Lauren, and thank you again to everyone who got involved!

Drive workshops

Looking to ace your driving tests or help others to pass their learners licence? Drive is the official, free way to master your journey from learner to full licence! Developed by NZTA and ACC, it features an interactive Road Code, real practice tests, and the Drive Go app to track your progress and build skills. With videos, tools, and tips for learners and coaches, Drive ensures you're safe and test-ready—and it even counts towards NCEA credits!

SADD has partnered with Drive to deliver peer support workshops that empower students to connect with SADD’s Programme Aspirations: positive licensing experiences. These workshops equip young people with knowledge of the Drive tools, link Drive tools to SADD activities, and empower them to educate others. Participants will build confidence in their own licensing journey while inspiring peers to do the same, fostering a safer, youth-led driving culture.

SADD students can run workshops for their peers. SADD provides downloadable lesson plans from its website, complete with step-by-step guidance for each session. These resources strengthen the peer-to-peer education model, ensuring students are empowered to lead effective, sustainable workshops that promote a positive and informed driver licence journey for themselves and others.

If you are keen to learn more about this awesome opportunity to help support your peers to get their learners licence the please go to our aspirations webpage Driver licence journey — Students Against Dangerous Driving to find out more. Then contact Mark@sadd.org.nz to register your interest and get started.

This thanks is following our most important and busiest time of the year - Conference time!

So, this month, we want to express our gratitude and deepest thanks to:

PG, VA and MC from Auckland, TC from Hamilton, MN from Waikato, SN & MT from Napier, CB from Christchurch and last, but not least MB from Nelson.

Your generosity is much appreciated. Stay safe.

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