Road Safety Week: The Northland Edition

Last week on the blog, we celebrated Road Safety Week across Aotearoa, showcasing wonderful events from all corners of the country. This week, we’re turning our attention to the winterless North, where Northland hosted some truly fantastic road safety initiatives. From interactive school programs to vibrant community events, Northland was alive with activities aimed at promoting safer roads and responsible driving. Read on to explore the highlights of Road Safety Week in Northland and the inspiring efforts of our local community!

The Whangarei Girls’ High School (WGHS) SADD group began planning for Road Safety Week last October, during their first official meeting. They expressed concerns about the safety of the tamariki near a road outside one of the local primary schools. They decided to approach the school and find out whether they were able to do a day of activities at the school for the tamariki.

In April, two students attended conference and brought back new ideas for SADD activities to support their road safety education for the tamariki. The WGHS SADD group then prepared a presentation focusing on key aspects of road safety and safe crossing practices.

To support their initiative, they invited Police and Road Safety professionals from the Northland Transportation Alliance to attend and participate in the school event. The WGHS SADD students organised three activities tailored to different age groups: a seatbelt drill for the juniors, a fast and furious game for the middle age group, and an impairment obstacle course for the seniors. Additionally, the Police conducted a lesson on crossing safely with the children outside the school to reinforce their understanding. The WGHS SADD students also planned a whole-school activity of “It’s No Game,” where the tamariki applied their new road safety knowledge in a snakes and ladders style game. 

The tamariki thoroughly enjoyed learning about road safety from the WGHS SADD group and expressed their gratitude by sending thank-you cards, appreciating the students' efforts to celebrate Road Safety Week with them.

Here are some of the comments from the tamariki about their road safety day with the WGHS SADD group:

“Thank you for having fun with us and joining our school.”

“Thank you for coming to our school and teaching us all about [road safety]. We really enjoyed [it]. We really liked the impairment challenge.”

“Thank you for teaching us about road safety, I had so much fun! And for playing snakes and ladders (it's no game) It was really cool working together. I hope to see you again. Now I will know what to do when I cross the road to stop, look, listen, and think!” 

“The world needs more people like you. Thanks for coming to our school and telling us about road safety SADD!”

Our WGHS SADD group also had a few comments about their experiences:

“It was awesome sauce to help kids learn about how to keep each other safe” - Aryana (Y13)

“Working alongside the other SADD members and seeing the enthusiasm from kids at the primary about road safety and getting involved was truly amazing” - Rochelle (Y13)

“It’s super fun to be able to teach primary kids about road safety. It was so amazing to see that kids were enjoying themselves while learning the importance of road safety” - Caitlin (Y9)

The plans for the community events happening during Road Safety Week began taking shape in February, starting with partner meetings to set the groundwork for the week's major events in Whangarei. The events included three car seat checkpoints located in different areas of Whangarei: Raumanga, Onerahi, and Otangarei. These checkpoints aimed to ensure that children's car seats were correctly installed and safe for use. They were successful and helped a range of locals in the area who needed advice on their car seats. 

The highlight of the week was the Hatea Heroes Loop Relay, held on Friday at the Town Basin. This free event invited teams to dress as road safety heroes and embark on an adventure around the Hatea Loop, combining fun with important safety messaging. The relay encouraged community participation and raised awareness about road safety in an engaging and memorable way. 

We had two SADD groups, from Whangarei Girls’ High School and Tauraroa Area School, attend and participate in the Hatea Heroes Loop Relay. They all had a great time connecting with other local partners and businesses that share an interest in Road Safety. The event was attended by Police, St John, FENZ, NZTA, and many other road safety professionals and businesses passionate about the initiative. 

The Hatea Heroes Loop Relay keeps growing in size every year and it is amazing to see so many passionate organisations and individuals come together in support for road safety and making a difference on our roads, together. This event helped spread the road safety message and highlighted the community's collective effort to promote safe driving practices.

These events were supported by local organisations, including the Northland Road Safety Trust, the Northland Transportation Alliance, Plunket, and the Police. Their collaboration and commitment were crucial in organising and executing the successful Road Safety Week activities, aiming to create a lasting impact on road safety awareness in Northland.