AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL

MEDIA RELEASE

21 July 2006

Award nominees help keep Auckland City communities safe

Auckland City received 16 nominations for the second Mayor of Auckland’s Community Safety Awards which will be held in the Town Hall on 17 August 2006.

Aucklanders were encouraged to nominate businesses, groups and individuals who they think have taken steps to make the city a safer place to live, work and play.

The awards attracted a wide range of safety initiatives from all over Auckland. Some of the people nominated for their great safety work this year are:

- Bernice Hall for her work on the graffiti removal in Glen Innes, Panmure and Point England as well as a crime prevention mail drop and day-to-day Safety Net, a new pension day watch group to improve safety in the area.

- The Otahuhu Mainstreet and Commercial Association for making their community a safe and secure place by providing day and night time security. As well as looking after the security of their patrons they also deal with social issues such as parking, shoplifting and petty crime.

- Drug ARM (awareness, relief, movement) for being dedicated to the rehabilitation of people who suffer from alcohol and drug problems by running volunteer outreach teams and community-based education programmes and family support.

The chairperson of the Public Safety and Community Order Committee, Councillor Graeme Mulholland, says making the community a better place is greatly assisted by the contributions that some of the local individuals and groups make.

“Once again, the nominations display an impressive range of initiatives that help make Auckland a safer place. Furthermore, they reflect the seriousness with which people tackle safety issues in their community.

“The awards have been developed to recognise and commend those individuals, groups and businesses behind some of the great community safety initiatives in our city,” Mr Mulholland says.

The award ceremony will be held during Safety NZ Week at the Town Hall on Thursday, 17 August from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.

In recognition of their great work, the winners will receive a green glass artwork designed by Nicole Lucas. The theme of the artwork for this year’s awards is “safe environment allows growth”, which reflects Auckland City’s overall theme about safety.

ENDS

© Scoop Media