The 111 files: Let's work on a caring community

Inspector Bruce Horne.

A new year can bring a new sense of hope

I have been reading Malcolm Gladwell's books recently, which I highly recommend. He is not only a great story teller, but many regard him as one of the greatest thinkers of our time.

His writing challenges you to think about things differently and consider new possibilities.

I mention this because it's that time of year again when a lot of people start pondering the year ahead and what it might bring.

That said, I don't think many of you would be surprised to know the idea of making New Year's resolutions is regarded with some cynicism by most New Zealanders.

Less than 40 per cent of New Zealanders will make a New Year's resolution for 2015 and of those who do, only 8 per cent will follow through.

The reason for the high failure rate is not surprising - being far too ambitious and failing to create a plan for change are the most common ones.

Like many people who live in Rotorua, I think this is a very special place that has huge potential.

I also believe that one of the things that holds us back as a community is the mind-set of some who find it hard to imagine that their lives could be different. In other words, a lot of people have lost hope.

However, when Rotorua people are asked what they consider to be the top priority for this community, for more than a decade the response has been the same - "a safe and caring community".

Some people say the principles that help build a strong community are the same as those that build strong families.

When our children were young my wife and I attended a parenting course that encouraged us to focus on the "ABCs" of parenting - Atmosphere, Boundaries and Communication.

If you create a healthy and happy atmosphere in the home, have good boundaries around behaviour and put effort into keeping the lines of communication open, a whole bunch of other things will fall into place.

I have yet to meet anyone who would argue against the notion that loving and nurturing families help build a healthier community.

So one of my goals for 2015 is to get more of us thinking about how we can strengthen the culture of our families.

Family violence is far too prevalent in our community and that needs to change.

We need to help people see that their future does not have to be their past and life can be different.

I am encouraged by the fact that I am not the only one thinking about this and there are community leaders who want to get together in the new year to look for ways to make this happen.

So lets begin 2015 by thinking about ways we might work together to create a new sense of hope among our people and make our families safer and happier.