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Safe Hutt Valley news release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, 22 April 2013

Safe Hutt Valley Coordinator Brings Together Agencies

UPPER HUTT, Wellington NZ, 22 APR 2013—One year into her role, Safe Hutt Valley Coordinator Haydee Wilton is looking ahead to even more successful initiatives.

“There’s no doubt that the Safe Hutt Valley initiative has been successful,” says Haydee. “There’s been a 12.9% drop in crime in the Hutt Valley over the last year. That means 1,800 fewer victims of crime. The Police believe this reduction has been achieved through collaboration among the full range of agencies, and that’s what Safe Hutt Valley is all about.”

Haydee says there have been solid success stories in Upper Hutt. The injury prevention programme and the alcohol-free schools initiative that kicked off the Safe Hutt Valley initiative are still going strong.

“There’s a huge amount happening,” says Haydee. “In injury prevention, free Vitamin D supplements have been distributed to older people living in residential care. We’re rolling out the SAY Now programme, developed by the Alcohol and Liquor Advisory Council. This involves working with officials from sports clubs to reduce alcohol related harm. Top Trentham is under way, with neighbourhood events, community clean-ups and home safety audits.”

“In road safety, our work focuses on safety at intersections, alcohol and drug impaired driving, young drivers, child restraints, and motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. We have a local Youth Offending Teams, part of a nationwide network set up to encourage agencies to work together to identify local issues and solve problems. The Hutt Valley team is currently focussing on truancy.”

“I’ve been impressed by the genuine neighbourhood engagement in Upper Hutt,” says Haydee. “It’s important that community involvement is seen as something to be applauded. Upper Hutt’s involvement in Neighbours’ Day Aotearoa is a good example. “Dob in your neighbour!” is one way of acknowledging people who go out of their way to do something positive for their neighbourhood.”

As the Safe Hutt Valley initiative’s first permanent coordinator, Haydee has been working to build on the fruitful relationships developed over the previous five years. “Our focus areas continue to follow the strategy developed in 2011 with injury prevention, crime and crash prevention, and alcohol harm minimisation being our main work streams.”

Hutt Valley-born, Haydee has strong experience in managing relationships and processes with both government and non-government agencies, usually in funding and project management roles. She worked for Internal Affairs, Culture and Heritage and the Historic Places Trust before taking up her current position.

Based at Hutt City but responsible for the whole Hutt Valley, Haydee feels positive about progress, especially following the recent release of statistics that indicate people have a high level of comfort about their safety in Upper Hutt.

“Upper Hutt City Council’s surveys are valuable tools in setting priorities for the Safe Hutt Valley initiative. It’s important that we understand where our communities feel safe and where they don’t. That gives us a strong basis for us to evaluate existing programmes and adjust future priorities,” she says.

“Last year’s Safety Survey showed that almost everyone feels safe most of the time at home and in their neighbourhood. It’s when they venture outside that comfort zone they start to feel less at ease. So the Police and Upper Hutt City Council know how to prioritise resources.”

The Safe Hutt Valley Coordinator position was established in 2012 to build on the considerable achievements already made. Haydee says her job is to help integrate and develop community safety initiatives in the wider Hutt Valley area.

“It’s crucial to maintain links across community agencies to support the development of a strong safety culture in our cities,” says Haydee. “Having a permanent coordinator creates a single point of contact for people wanting help or offering to contribute. It also means we have someone to lead our reapplication for accreditation as an International Safe community.”

Formed in late 2008, the Safe Hutt Valley initiative helped Hutt Valley gain accreditation as an International Safe Community from the World Health Organisation in 2010. Safe Hutt Valley’s partners include Upper Hutt City Council, Hutt City Council, the Police, ACC, Hutt Valley DHB, Regional Public Health, Child Youth and Family, and Ahuru Mowai o Te Awakairangi.

Haydee has been taking stock of Safe Hutt Valley’s achievements and planning for the future.

“Once we have a full picture of all of the positive work happening in our communities we can identify what existing partnerships and structures we can link with, and how we can work better together to improve the reach of our work. We will identify any gaps in services and look at ways of pooling our resources to fill these gaps,” says Haydee.

A history graduate, Haydee is the mother of twin sons, aged five. She has travelled widely through New Zealand, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She can be contacted on (04) 570 6930 or through the website www.safecommunities.org.nz/sc/hutt.

About Upper Hutt City Council

Upper Hutt City Council is the steward and custodian of Upper Hutt City, providing governance, infrastructure, and community services and resources, and promoting opportunity in the city for business, recreation, lifestyle, and leisure. Upper Hutt City is located 30 km north-east of Wellington City (41°07'34" S, 175°04'06" E) and boasts 70% of the region’s parks and reserves, along with state-of-the-art entertainment and leisure facilities.

ENDS

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