Wellington’s commitment to ending sexual violence was reflected in the Safety in the City awards ceremony at the Wharewaka on the waterfront last night.

Several individuals, groups and programmes were honoured by Mayor Justin Lester for making exceptional contributions to the safety of the city.

It was noticeable that several winners, including Fiona McNamara, Clint Shoultz and Matt McLaughlin, had focused on ending sexual violence.

“The Council committed in our Long-Term Plan to ending sexual violence in Wellington,” says Councillor Fleur Fitzsimons, who holds the City Safety portfolio.

“It is fitting that we recognise members of the community doing important work to achieve this aim. It will take effort from us all to end sexual violence in Wellington.”

McNamara has been hugely successful as General Manager of Sexual Abuse Prevention Network.
McLaughlin, President of the Wellington branch of Hospitality New Zealand, has played an active role in sexual assault prevention and on-premise security communication.

Shoultz headed Take Ten, a community-led safety initiative focused on reducing alcohol-related harm and alleviating demands on emergency services.

“The winners of these awards came from all walks of life and have contributed through acts of bravery, emergency responses, crime prevention and community safety campaigns,” the Mayor says.

One particularly heart-warming story that emerged last night involved six staff members from Platypus Shoes in Manners St and one from the nearby The Body Shop store, who combined to save the life of a man.

He had stumbled while walking past Platypus Shoes and when helped inside slumped forward, became unresponsive and stopped breathing.

Quick thinking by the staff, including administering CPR and calling emergency services, led to the man regaining consciousness before emergency services transferred him to hospital.

The 2018 winners are:
• Sam Barnes, Paris Evans, Izaak Lomax, Laura Sutherland, Jacob Williams and Tafara Odigetse of Platypus Shoes, and Alea Wharekura of The Body Shop.
• Ray Harkness of Wellington Wander Search Charitable Trust.
• Matt Mclaughlin, President of Hospitality New Zealand’s Wellington branch.
• Lisa Seddon.
• Fiona McNamara of Sexual Abuse Prevention Network.
• Take Ten.
• Wellington South Community Patrol.

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