Pride of NZ Awards: Facebook page helps stop crime

Name: Pride of New Zealand Awards 2014
Uploaded: 2014-05-23T13:20:39+12:00
Duration: 54 s
Description: The inaugural Pride of New Zealand Awards were launched in May this year by The New Zealand Herald, The Hits and TSB Bank. The Pride of New Zealand Awards will celebrate Kiwi greatness, and recognise those who selflessly work to make New Zealand a better place to live.

Northland Age

28 May, 2014 05:00 PMQuick Read

The inaugural Pride of New Zealand Awards were launched in May this year by The New Zealand Herald, The Hits and TSB Bank. The Pride of New Zealand Awards will celebrate Kiwi greatness, and recognise those who selflessly work to make New Zealand a better place to live.

Tony Taylor

Community Spirit category: A couple of years ago, Kaikohe businessman Tony Taylor decided he had had enough of crime in his town, so he set up a community Facebook page.

Now

Kaikohe Community Watch

has close to 4,000 members, more than Kaikohe's population.

That innovation has earned Mr Taylor a Pride of New Zealand Award nomination in the Community Spirit category.

Kaikohe was suffering badly from tagging, assaults, home invasions, street crime, thefts and petrol drive-offs. "It was a daily occurrence, and escalating," Mr Taylor's nominator said.

"Tony's community watch page has turned the town around. Crime has been reported and the offenders caught, arrested, named and shamed and held accountable. The site has been so successful in bringing the crime rate down in Kaikohe and its surrounds, it's amazing. The police there have been involved, and are very supportive of the work Tony has done.

"It's brilliant what Tony has done for this community, without pay or recognition, just because he saw a need. He does a lot for Kaikohe."