Slow down for our treasures

ON A MISSION: Children from Ko Te Aroha Children's Centre, Lakeview School and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Wairarapa take a walk to promote the new Slow Down signage in their neighbourhood.WTA280214ABSLOWDOWN0

Poster kids walk the talk against speed

It's an unremarkable street corner, the intersection of Clyde St and Johnstone St in Masterton, but yesterday it became remarkable for demonstrating the love, the aroha, the east side community has for its children.

For the pre-schoolers on that corner, passing the day in the Ko Te Aroha Children's Centre, yesterday morning meant an interesting break in routine in a walk along the streets in sunhats, joining new entrants from Lakeview School and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Wairarapa - plus some exciting "grown-up" students from Makoura College.

The pre-schoolers were the "poster children" for Wairarapa Rural Education Activities Programme's (REAP) new initiative to try to slow down indifferent speedsters on the east side of Masterton.

The timing is apt, with tomorrow's Children's Day theme, "Treasure our Children" and it's needed, according to one of the centre's teachers, Braidie Heberley.

"There's lots of speeding past our creche," she said.

"We want to promote safety."

The programme, in consultation with the community, placed three large Kids around - Slow Down billboards on the streets last week, featuring the faces of children from Ko Te Aroha.

The posters, placed at Johnstone/Clyde and both intersections of Church and Cameron, were photographed last year by then-Makoura College photography students Beau Elton and Brittany Leveridge.

Programme Kaitakawaenga Makuini Kerehi said Masterton District Council had started a conversation about safety for children on the east side.

"We did a community consultation a few years ago, and people asked about speed reduction."

She said judder bars were an obvious solution, but they were an inconvenience to regular drivers as well as speedsters.

"So this is the next best thing."

The children were joined on the walk by traffic sergeant Chris Megaw and Wairarapa Road Safety Council co-ordinator Bruce Pauling.

The walk concluded with a "bubble" party at the Te Awhina Cameron Community house on Stuart Cres.