Safer Hauraki Community Council

“People working together to ensure a safer community”

What is a Safer Community Council?

The New Zealand Crime Reduction Strategy, launched in 2001, recognised that Government needs to work in partnership with communities in order to find the best solutions to the crime problems that exist at the local level.

What does a Safer Community Council do?

The primary role of Safer Community council is to:

• Co ordinate existing community crime prevention programmes, enhancing their collective efficiency and effectiveness.
• Facilitate the development of new initiatives that address service gaps in the community.
• Government funding is provided to Safer Community Councils to assist them in performing their role effectively.

In practice this means that Safer Community Councils are a key to:

• Getting community groups together to talk about their activities and plan solutions for local problems
• Putting individuals in touch with services groups or agencies that can meet their needs.
• Making sure that people can access appropriate assistance when needed.
• Focusing resources to the areas of most need.

Who is on a Safer Community Council?

A Safer Community council is made up of people who live or work in a particular community, who have an interest in crime reduction.

Membership varies, but normally includes representatives from the business, health and education sectors as well as key community groups, local Iwi Maori and representatives from Government agencies also interested in crime reduction (e.g. Police, WINZ etc).

Most Safer Community councils have a paid coordinator who acts as a point of contact with the Council
In the response to the need for partnership approaches to crime reduction, a number of Safer Community Councils have been established around the country.

The nationwide initiative is coordinated from Government by the Crime Prevention Unit (which is currently located within the Ministry of Justice).

Safer Hauraki Safer Community Council

The Safer Hauraki Safer Community Council programme was introduced in the Hauraki District under the Sponsorship of the Hauraki District Council.

As sponsor the Hauraki District Council receives and administers resources allocated to the Safer Community Council from Government and monitors the Safer Community council’s performances in implementing any crime prevention and reduction strategies. The Hauraki District Council also provides support and guidance to assist the Safer Community Council.

The Safer Hauraki Safer Community Council is operated as one committee. Hauraki District comprises of three wards, Paeroa, Waihi, and Ngatea.



What is Safer Hauraki Safer Community Council's focus?

• To promote a safe physical environment
• To met with community groups to note their concerns, to gather information about concerns of different groups
• To support organisations that deal with Domestic Violence and to coordinate and support activities aimed at reducing Domestic Violence
• To reduce violence in our community
• To build on other community initiatives

Long term Strategic goals for Safer Hauraki – July 2001-June 2006

In the strategy five key goal areas were identified as priorities for crime prevention, these being:

Goal 1: To collaborate in the provision of drug and alcohol education initiatives.
Goal 2: To reduce the number of youth at risk of offending.
Goal 3: To improve support for families at risk.
Goal 4: To reduce the impact of crime on victims
Goal 5: To raise awareness of Safer Hauraki among its constituents.

Contact details
Safer Hauraki Community Council Co-ordinator