This group has its challenges - namely how we ensure we all see a role in promoting Safer Hastings. And how do we ensure we connect with grass roots community and decision-makers. Many of our projects are intended to "drill down to feed up". How do we keep Hastings safe?
We have agreed to focus on particular areas this year - child, youth and family, older people and housing, community resilience and connection. Alcohol is an underlying factor considered with each focus group.
An example of one of our safety projects is the street safety clean-up. The aim is to make the street a safer place to live in and increase the sense of pride and well-being within the street community.
Hastings District Council employs a street-by-street facilitator. It is her role to identify those streets and residential areas that need a hand to tidy up properties. On this occasion, some of the residents of this Hastings suburban street, volunteers from a local church, some young people, the HDC street-by-street facilitator, the Safer Hastings co-ordinator and a handful of local community group representatives gathered to clean and tidy unsafe backyards.
Safety issues within the street included fire risks from randomly stacked dry wood, similar amounts of cardboard and combustible objects against homes, broken glass and concrete, exposed rusty metal (including car parts), rotting rubbish (which encouraged rat infestation and roaming dogs), disused fittings, furniture and broken toys - generally family unfriendly environments that not only compromised the use of space but also significantly compromised that safe space. Residents expressed relief that finally, rubbish they could not cope with and caused them concern, was now removed. One of the landlords even arranged for four of his houses to have their exteriors painted.
Another example which was cited by the Safer Hastings annual report feedback was our U-Turn Tunu Tunu. This simple BBQ sponsored by Unison has much potential. Tunu Tunu (cooking) is mainly taken to the streets of Flaxmere. This simple mechanism provides an opportunity for people to gather - to hit the streets where there is a need to bring people together - to mingle and to start talking to each other. This also offers an informal mechanism for agencies to connect with grass roots in an informal way. Police and local Maori wardens are our main supporters. Henare O'Keefe's slogan: "We are taking our community back one sausage at a time." But the other factor is people are hungry. Our gluten free Mad Butcher sausages are consumed at a rapid pace.
The feeling of being unsafe in inner city Hastings has been partly addressed by City Assist. The inner city is quiet after hours. Good urban design contributes to well-being. Why can't we develop residential space right in the inner city of Hastings? Most of the buildings in the city area are attractive with lots of potential for apartment living. Having more people living close or as part of the city would improve safety and increase vibrancy to the inner city.
-Ana Apatu is chief executive of the U-Turn Trust, based at Te Aranga Marae in Flaxmere.
