On the road in Term 4

Three-quarters of SADD’s Delivery Team has been on the road during Term 4, catching up with students and community partners. We have done more travel than normal this term, partly due to lockdown postponing Term 3 plans, but also because we have two new Delivery Leads who were keen to get out and meet people. Big shout out to Mia, SADD’s Upper North Island Delivery Lead who has been toughing it out in lockdown in Tāmaki Makaurau. She has been doing an awesome job of doing her delivery role and supporting students via distance!

Mark - Lower South Island

“At the beginning of term 4, I hit the road and headed south to meet up with SADD groups and community partners. It was my first time on the road since I started with SADD and I was very excited to meet everyone. My tour of the south took me to Oamaru to meet up with the St Kevin's SADD group.

At St Kevin’s I was massively impressed with the level of organisation and commitment that this SADD group has, I am 110% certain that they will do a fabulous job in 2022 and beyond after I discussed passing the torch and planning for next year with them. With my head held high I set my sights on Dunedin where I had great meetings with community partners: do you smell that? It’s the smell of collaboration!!

After Dunedin, it was onward to Winton, Invercargill and Alexandra. A lot of great conversations came out of my meetings and I am very excited to see all of the great stuff we can achieve together. I was especially excited to chat with Southland Police and the road safety coordinators from Central Otago, both of whom are very keen to get involved with local SADD groups in 2022.

I’d like to say a big shout out to the SADD groups at Central Southland College, Southland Girls High School, Dunstan High School and Mt Hutt College, I can’t wait to see what we achieve next year!”

Lydia - Upper South Island

“At the start of November, I headed up to the Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough regions to finish off what I started in August when we went into lockdown. With my trip cut quite short in term 3, I was very keen to go back up to the top of the south to meet with a couple of schools and community partners that I had missed seeing last time.

My meetings with students from Motueka High and Marlborough Girls were all about debriefing 2021 (what a blur of a year) and preparing for next year. Although not everything has gone to plan this year and some things that students wanted to do just weren’t possible, I am constantly impressed with how young people adapt and move forward.

A highlight of the trip was getting to sit down and make some plans with the local Council to bring some momentum to the Nelson and Tasman regions in 2022. SADD has been a bit quiet in these regions, so we are working towards a collaborative approach to get things moving. Watch this space!”

Sherein - Lower North Island

“This month I got the opportunity to take my first SADD road trip. After being in the role for two months I was looking forward to getting out to meet people face-to-face. The aim of the trips was to network - meet a mix of community partners, a few schools, as well as get familiar with the lay of the land. A great reminder of how beautiful NZ is too!

The first destination was Gisborne and I met with local Police and the Road Safety Coordinator. It was a great way to understand resources, explore ideas, and strategize together to reach more of the greater Gisborne region. Gisborne Girls high was also a great stop, hearing how their SADD group was so strong and how they recruited all year-groups to maintain their momentum. Last stop was the Gisborne waterfront where I met Hayley Lincoln, one of SADD’s Yr 12 National Leaders. I loved hearing some of the creative community-focused ideas she has, and how they can work with partners and the region's needs for 2022.

In Hawkes Bay, similar to Gisborne it was all about collaboration with partners, this time the Road Safety Coordinator and ACC. I also got the chance to visit Hastings Girls High and work on potential ways SADD could work with their school.

This week I’m off to Taranaki for more networking. I’ll be visiting Whanganui, Hawera and New Plymouth looking at how SADD can further reach the region with schools and partners and, also stopping in with two of our National Leaders in these areas to explore plans for next year. It’s exciting to have started the process of gearing up, collaborating, and strategising for 2022. I am looking forward to visiting and meeting more of my regions in term one.”