World class safety planned for North Shore City
July 31, 2006

North Shore City is pegged to become a world recognised safe city with the help of the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and the local council.

ACC and the North Shore City Council have today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together to have North Shore City recognised as a safe community by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The project is called ‘ShoreSafe’ and involves a number of important initiatives specifically designed to address safety issues in New Zealand’s fourth largest city.

Some of the major projects that ShoreSafe will address include a council housing project for older people, road safety campaigns, the ‘Safe Summer’ programme and pedestrian and cycle safety.

North Shore City’s community outcomes project leader, Karin Adelinger, says the council puts a lot of effort into community safety “in our neighbourhoods, on our roads, in our parks and on our beaches.

“Increasingly we’re looking at safe design as part of the District Plan and policy work,” she says.

“This initiative to obtain certification as a safe community will seek to identify and link all of these initiatives with similar initiatives being taken by both government and non-government agencies in North Shore City.

“Our residents have told us they want a city where they feel safe and secure in their everyday lives. ShoreSafe is an excellent initiative toward achieving that community outcome,” Ms Adelinger says.

General manager – injury prevention, Darrin Goulding, says ACC is proud to be working with the North Shore City Council to address safety issues in the city.

“There are some key opportunity areas that will ultimately result in North Shore City being a safer place for its residents,” he says.

More than 100 communities throughout the world are designated as a safe community, including five within New Zealand: Waitakere; Waimakariri; New Plymouth; Whangarei; and, most recently, Wellington.

The council has a statutory obligation under the Local Government Act 2002 to work together with other government agencies.

The MOU complements but does not affect the council’s statutory responsibilities to ACC as an employer. The council has reached tertiary level on the ACC Partnership Programme, which has a strong focus on health and safety.

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www.northshorecity.govt.nz

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