MAY EDITION

What's new this month

Kia ora koutou,

May has been and gone before we even knew it. Here at Kaitiaki o Ara everything has been full steam ahead with the much-anticipated Road Safety Week coming around!

This month's edition is packed with excellent content that we are eager to share with you.

We are excited to highlight a selection of the awesome events that happened during Road Safety Week. The week was packed with student-led activities to raise awareness, and promote safe driving habits. This year really was something special and we needed to create two blogs to help cover student contributions. You’ll find them further down.

We also cover ex-National Leader Vaughan and his presentation to Canterbury and West Coast AA District Council. It’s true to say it was an eye-opener for the council members. Feedback was unanimous. Vaughan was professional, informative and articulate. Scroll down to learn a little more.

With the King’s Birthday weekend and other holidays on the horizon, let’s work together to make our roads safer for everyone. Take a peek at our monthly theme and make sure you buckle up especially with winter weather starting to make its presence known.

Thank you for your commitment to road safety. Drive safe and stay vigilant!

Ngā mihi nui,

— Kerry, Upper North Programme Delivery Lead

Monthly theme: Restraints/Safe Vehicles

A third of drivers and passengers who die on our roads aren’t wearing their seatbelts – seatbelts save lives.

Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of being killed or seriously injured in a road crash by about 40%. If everyone wore their seatbelts an estimated 25 lives could be saved from road crashes each year.

Road Safety Week Launch Event

Fergus and William from Wellington College were invited to represent Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD and speak at the Road Safety Week 2024 launch in Te Whangnui-a-Tara. They spoke about the recent collaborative Motorcycle and Moped safety workshop held at their school in March and how it’s positively impacted their kura.

We are extremely proud of them and the way they presented to a room full of Road Safety Heroes! Well done team!

Check out our most recent blog for more info!

Our Contribution to Road Safety Week

Road Safety Week is a fantastic annual opportunity for students to raise awareness of road safety issues and get involved with practical activities to inspire their peers.

There was an incredible effort across the motu this year and we want to share that mahi by highlighting great examples in this blog post. Check it out!

Vaughan makes his presence known

Earlier this month, Vaughan Smart (National Leader 2022-23) presented to the Canterbury and West Coast Automobile Association District Council.

His topic? Previously Vaughan had made a submission and presented to Selwyn District Council on the lack of Driver Testing facilities in the district.

He shared his journey of making his National Leader project come to fruition, including securing a letter of support from Selwyn DC to further his aim, and coming to the attention of NZTA Waka Kotahi.

Vaughan went further. He shared how his involvement in SADD helped demonstrate how he contributes to his community. How it provided references when he needed them and continued to offer opportunities to help him grow as a leader.

Dates for your calendar

National Volunteer Week: 16 - 22 June

www.nationalvolunteerweek.nz

This month we have another mighty list of people to thank for choosing to send a donation our way.

We are youth-centric and youth-led and that makes it even more amazing that we are recognised in that way. We were reminded of how that major difference presents itself all through our recent conference season. We really can’t do it without our young participants.

To know that others acknowledge and appreciate their passion and commitment is really important so a huge Kaitiaki o Ara thank-you to:

MP from Hamilton, ID from wider Waikato, KP in Palmerston North, SJ down a bit in New Plymouth, KR and PT both from Wellington and TC in Dunedin.

Your generosity is much appreciated. Stay safe.

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
Anne-Marie Robinson (Upper South Island) email or call 021 624 198
Mark McCallum-Unwin (Lower South Island) email or call 027 451 1253