Waimakariri: Twenty Years as a Safe Community
Waimakariri District Council media release: 10th December 2019
Last week the District Waimakariri District was honoured to be acknowledged for the remarkable achievement of 20 years as an International Safe Community.
The Safe Community model encourages people to come together to define their common needs and aspirations, to undertake planning and, with support, organise themselves to take action to achieve their collective goals. This community-led approach values people first. It builds strong communities by utilising local skills, knowledge and experience in decision-making to improve quality of life.
The Council was visited by the Safer Community Foundation Network to mark the occasion.
The accreditation is the result of diverse range of projects over 20 years ranging from the Kaiapoi Food Forest to Hope Community Trust as well as many other great initiatives that add value to our community. It is an acknowledgement of the partnership approach applied to this important work in proactively addressing the safety and wellbeing of Waimakariri residents.
Community Team Manager Tessa Sturley says, “Our success in achieving 20 years as an International Safe Community is a testament to our partners, collaboration and innovation from a wide range of people, groups and organisations. Our team and the Council are very proud of the work that’s been put in over the years and look forward to the next 20 years.”
Find out more about the work of the Community Team and the various initiatives happening across the community.