Big cuts for anti-injury programmes

'Other regios are not getting cuts.' - Carolynne Stone, deputation leader. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Community safety promoters put worries about $330,000 reduction to city council.

Injury prevention projects face a 40 per cent cut in state funding at year's end to serve a bigger area of Auckland.

A 20-strong deputation of community safety supporters yesterday told Auckland Council members of their fears that a decade of work was about to be undone through lack of funds.

Deputation leader Carolynne Stone said daily in Auckland one person died and over 35 were hospitalised from preventable injuries. Causes included falls, fires and road and cycle crashes.

Four local injury prevention projects relied on Ministry of Health funding. They also had support from the former city councils of Waitakere, Auckland, North Shore and Manukau,

They now came under the wing of Auckland Council, which negotiated contracts with the ministry, currently worth $733,000 a year.

"Our projects have worked hard on a minimal budget and now face a significant reduction proposed by the ministry which will have a severe impact on what services can be provided," said Mrs Stone.

The ministry's proposal was for a decrease to $400,000, for which it expected coverage of the whole region rather than the project areas' total population of 930,000.

"The region's population is growing phenomenally and increased levels of work cannot be achieved within the proposed budget."

Mrs Stone called on the council to ensure these projects were maintained and expanded - without loss of their paid co-ordinators, who were essential to keeping the safety message before communities.

The networks tried to change people's attitudes and behaviour to reduce the number of accidents and severity of injuries.

She wanted to alert councillors that council officers seemed to accept a 40 per cent cut - without putting up a fight and without consulting affected groups.

"Why are we accepting this? Other regions are not getting cuts."

Projects were not about wrapping people in cotton wool. They were aimed at homes, communities and schools on measures ranging from smoke detectors to soft-surface playgrounds.

The injury rate in Auckland of 960 per 100,000 people was much higher in areas without projects.

Deputation member Julie Chambers, of the Starship children's hospital trauma service, said the injury prevention measures were sensible and effective and needed to be part of Auckland Council's everyday policy and business.

Council chief planning officer Dr Roger Blakeley said a senior manager was discussing the funding cut with ministry officials.

Regional operations committee chairwoman Ann Hartley said councillors did not know about the proposed funding cuts.

But provision for injury prevention work would be part of the debate on the council's long-term budget.

The New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy estimates that each life lost has a value of $3 million and the total social and economic cost of injury is more than $9 billion.