Police have offered tips to ensure people stay safe this New Year's Eve. Photo / George Novak
Police have offered tips to ensure people stay safe this New Year's Eve. Photo / George Novak
Have a fully charged phone, plan how to get home and “look after your friends and stick together”.
Police, St John and Te Whatu Ora Lakes are offering tips to ensure people are safe when going out and enjoying festivals, parties and gigs this New Year’s Eve.
A police spokesperson said those who were drinking should eat something substantial before starting and have a glass of water between each alcoholic drink.
“Plan how you are getting home at the end of your night, and have the cash, Eftpos card, or app to pay for transport.
“Look after your friends and stick together and have a place to meet up with your friends if you do get separated.”
Police also had advice for those who sought to take advantage of vulnerable or intoxicated people.
“Do not do this. Do not allow your mates to do this either. Sexual assault is unacceptable. It is never the victim’s fault and should not be tolerated in any situation.”
Police took sexual assault “extremely seriously” and would respond to and investigate every incident reported to them.
A spokesperson said police would be out in force during the summer holidays to deter risky driver behaviour that could lead to death or serious injury on the roads. There would be a particular focus on patrolling highways.
“Expect to see a significant presence of police, anywhere and anytime.
“We want you to get to your destination safely which is why police focus on the four main causes of death and injury on our roads.”
This included making sure everyone was wearing the correct seatbelts or child restraints, not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or when fatigued, focusing on the road at all times and not being distracted by phones, and driving at safe speeds for the conditions.
Te Whatu Ora Lakes interim district director Nick Saville-Wood. Photo / Andrew Warner
Te Whatu Ora Lakes interim district director Nick Saville-Wood said the Christmas and New Year holiday period could be a “very busy time” for the emergency departments at Rotorua and Taupō hospitals.
“We see a number of needless incidents over the holiday period including accidents and injuries, violence and even deaths which are often caused by too much alcohol.
“Excessive alcohol consumption causes immense harm to adults and children and results in increasing presentations at emergency departments on a daily basis.
“Happy New Year to you all and remember please be kind to our staff if you do need to come to ED. Don’t forget they have given up time with their whānau to be here to help you.”
Call 111 in an emergency. For non-urgent health care and advice, call Healthline on 0800 611 116. This free service is available 24/7, he said.
Hato Hone St John Tauranga central east district operations manager Mat Delaney said there was normally an increase in demand across the New Year period in the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua region from the morning of New Year’s Eve through to the evening of New Year’s Day. This included calls from people who were still recovering from celebrations.
Hato Hone St John general manager of ambulance operations Stu Cockburn said the most common calls were for unconscious people, falls, traumatic injuries, and motor vehicle accidents.
“A third of all these calls are linked to alcohol and could be easily avoided.”
“If people do need to call an ambulance, please be kind and respectful of our ambulance officers. Our emergency call handlers and paramedics are caring professionals who do awesome mahi but if they’re being abused, they can’t do their job.
“Our people are here to help you and we have zero tolerance for verbal or physical violence towards our people.”
Surf Life Saving NZ’s Eastern Region lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell. Photo / Mead Norton
Surf Life Saving NZ’s Eastern Region lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell said a lot of people enjoyed going to the beach for the New Year’s countdown.
“I urge people, please don’t go into the water at night time, especially after you’ve had a few beverages,” he said.
“Lifeguards can respond after hours but we’re not really equipped to come and look for people at night time.”
Although it was “very tempting” to go for a dip, he asked people to stay on the sand.
Gibbons-Campbell said it was also important to note many beaches were liquor-free zones. He advised people to check the conditions before swimming, swim at a lifeguarded beach, and avoid mixing alcohol and swimming.
