MEDIA RELEASE

1 September 2016

Accolade from World Health Organization “hugely exciting”

Napier has been recognised by the World Health Organisation as a leading safe city.

Against 82 other entries from 30 cities around the world, Napier took out the 2016 World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office Healthy Cities Recognition for Violence and Injury Prevention (Safe Cities).

The win comes following 10 years of Safer Napier – a multi-agency approach to prioritising safety in Napier with Mayor Bill Dalton as Ambassador. To enter, Safer Napier demonstrated leadership and collaboration in the fields of, for example, crime prevention, road safety and reducing alcohol-related harm.

Although Napier City Council - as the lead agency - was asked to apply by Safe Communities Foundation New Zealand, Manager Community Strategies Natasha Carswell says she was surprised and delighted to learn yesterday of the win.

“It’s hugely exciting,” she says. “This is recognition of the massive amount of work that everyone from our 43 organisations and agencies are doing to promote safety in Napier.”

Safer Napier tracks progress against an evaluation framework set by the Foundation. Initiatives delivered so far have included everything from a campaign on alcohol-related harm to the Safe As Houses programme, which saw seven streets in Napier benefit from home visits to help encourage crime prevention, neighbourliness, injury prevention and Civil Defence preparedness.

“Unfortunately bad things still happen – in all cities and every community – but we believe that every one of us must take on the responsibility of contributing to a safer environment” says Ms Carswell.

The full list of recipients for 2016 will be posted on the WPRO and Alliance for Healthy Cities websites. The awards were held in Wonju City, Republic of Korea, and the winner’s plaque will be sent on to Safer Napier in due course.

ENDS

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