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SAFE AT THE TOP: NEWSLETTER
May 2015
What is Safe at the Top
Nelson Tasman
In August 2011, Nelson Tasman gained accreditation from the World Health
‘Safe at the Top’
th
Organisation (WHO) as the 250 International Safe Community. The Safe
is an accredited
Communities Foundation of NZ (SCFNZ) in its capacity as the certifying
centre, awarded the accreditation and welcomed our region into the Pan
international safe
Pacific Safe Communities Network.
community and a
.
To complete accreditation, many local community leaders signed an agree-
member of the
ment between SCFNZ and agreed to all work together on three core values:
Safe Community
1. Safety is a fundamental human right;
Foundation NZ
2. People are at the heart of making communities safer places in which to
live, work, learn, travel and play; and
3. Everybody has a responsibility to promote & maintain their safety & the
safety of others.
Those that signed the agreement were leaders from; Nelson City Council,
Tasman District Council, Nelson Marlborough District Health Board, ACC,
Nelson Bays Police, and six local Iwi representatives.
‘Safe at the Top’ is the Nelson Tasman project that reports to SCFNZ and
focuses on current community safety priorities. There are many projects and
organisations in our region that contribute towards keeping our community
In This Issue

Child Protection Workshop

Strong Healthy Families

Water Safety

Car Demonstrations

ACC Levy Changes

Keep Victory Safe Project
update

New Funding for abused
men

Safe Farms Programme

Reduced use of some
medication’s at hospital
safe. This newsletter is a snapshot of some of these projects and initiatives
that are being delivered in the Nelson Tasman region. ‘Safe at the Top’
supports and promotes these organisations. Inside this edition you will hear
about a few of these...
1
Meet the team at
Safe at the Top
Community Section
Child Protection
Workshops
Coalition Group Members:

Les Milligan, NMDHB

Glenis Bell, NBPH

Mark Preston-Thomas, ACC

Matt Elliott, Nelson Bays Police

Barb Whitaker, Red cross
Refugee Services

Nelson Safer Community
Stage One Workshops
Training Opportunities 2015
1. Minimum expectation—safeguarding children.

Runs regularly throughout the year. Next one will be
held in Wakefield on July 21st
Register online for these workshops at:
http://safeguardingchildren.org.nz/register-for-a-seminar
Council
2. Family Violence Intervention Programme
Coordinator:
Jo Perrett
safeatthetop@nbph.org.nz
Coalition Group Chair:
Les Milligan
E: Les.Milligan@nmhs.govt.nz
Contact Details:
Website: www.safeatthetop.org.nz
Email: safeatthetop@nbph.org.nz
Phone: (03) 539 1170

Being held at the Nelson Marlborough District health
Board on 19th May
To register please email: gina.lyon@nmdhb.govt.nz
Community Section
Safe Guarding Children
workshops
Child Protection Policy Development – Tuesday 28 April 4.15pm – 7.30pm at Stoke Oval.
SCI are now offering FREE seminars to help with the development of robust child protection policies and
procedures. Whether you or your organisation works directly or indirectly with children, or in a voluntary
capacity we all must take responsibility to create ‘child-safe’ organisations.
If you are a parent you might like to know how child protection policies and safe recruitment keeps your
children safe when they are attending school or a leisure activity for example. These workshops will explain
the legislation, including ‘The vulnerable Children’s Act’ or ‘The Children’s Action Plan’ and are aimed
at anyone wanting to develop a safeguarding/child protection policy and procedures tailored to the type of
contact that your organisation has with children.
Attachment and Vulnerability Seminars
Monday 20 April & Monday 4 May 6.15pm – 9.30pm at
Stoke Oval.
Lets make our most vulnerable children the most visible. Having an understanding of attachment, child
development and vulnerability, are recognised as essential components to identify children at risk or in
need of support. New ways of working as a result of ‘The Vulnerable Children’s Act’ and ‘The Children’s
Action Plan’ places great importance on these key competencies for those working with or supporting children and young people. SCI is offering training FREE to anyone, but in particular those who
work with or support children, families and parents, and interested community members. Even if you are
supporting adults who are parents this seminar will be essential to you.
You can register to the seminars right now on SCI website at
http://safeguardingchildren.org.nz/register-for-a-seminar/
Training Opportunity—Performance Accountability
Results Based Accountability Workshop Nelson – 7 May
Understanding and using Performance Accountability will support continuous improvement for organisations
and strengthen their ability to manage and report on contracts. This training is being held on Thursday 7 May,
10.00am - 3.30pm, ACC meeting room, Collingwood St. Please RSVP by Friday 1 May to:
Claire.Dowdall002@msd.govt.nz or manager@svs.org.nz
3
Free Health and Safety
Training for Small Business
ACC is offering free, practical and easy to understand health and safety training for
small business with 10 staff or less, designed for those who aren’t sure where to start
or what to do.
Thursday 28 May, 4 pm – 6 pm or
Thursday 11 June, 4 pm – 6 pm.
Optional follow up sessions on
Thursday 18 June, 4.30 pm – 5.30 pm
Thursday 25 June, 4.30 pm – 5.30 pm
At ACC Nelson, corner Riverside Drive and Halifax Streets.
As these courses tend to be popular and numbers are limited please register with Dan
Mahony at ACC on Daniel.mahony@acc.co.nz or phone 03 545 7820 as soon as
possible.
4
Pasifika Safety Project
The Pasifika community in Tasman-Nelson is working in partnership with the Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower Trust (short Kidpower) to co-design and co-deliver a programme that promotes respect and safety
with peers and adults.
The training consists of fun activities, songs, role-plays, safety signs, visuals and resources. It empowers
fanau with safety skills to keep safe and prevent violence (i.e. recognising unsafe situations, respecting
others and self, setting respectful boundaries, getting help), parenting skills, and opportunities to discuss
and address issues.
The feedback from parents to date is positive to enthusiastic in that the training has actually given them the
skills to discuss their own experiences of violence whether it was domestic violence, sexual abuse or
violence in work environments and the community.
They are keen to pursue further training in this programme. Sonny, the Pasifika facilitator, is enthusiastically looking back and forward: “Our community has identified that this programme works for them as it’s
developed by the community for the community. We can challenge not only our own, but also the mainstream population’s assumption that domestic violence is accepted in our community - but it’s not.”
The long term plan includes reaching out to other regions and Pasifika communities, but Sonny says it is
good to “start in a small community to get challenges and issues sorted before taking it to a bigger
collaboration. Sometimes grant providers or funders want to see large numbers being involved but it’s
better to first look at the smaller picture and then build into the future.”
For more information email us at cornelia@kidpower.org.nz or
sonny6713@gmail.com
Kidpower can help people stay safe, act wisely and to believe in themselves and they can help build a safer
world with positive strategies to stop violence in collaboration with many other people and communities?
More information is available in the Annual Report (first online edition) and the video 21 Years of Kidpower
in New Zealand
This year Kidpower has had some exciting challenges to meet the growing demand for their services and
expert advice, in the sexual violence prevention field, Government violence prevention strategies, and the
disability sector.
Kidpower offers evidence based safety and confidence programmes and advice, and fun life skill activities
to build respectful relationships all with the aim of preventing violence, including sexual violence.
Contact www.kidpower.org.nz or 0800 KIDPOWER (0800 543 769)
5
New Funding for National Structure for Men
After many years of work there is going to be a national structure
specifically to support men of sexual abuse. This is the first time in
New Zealand. The national body will be called Male Survivors of
Sexual Abuse Trust Aotearoa New Zealand (MSSAT).
The national body will comprise of members from regional support
groups throughout the country, and Philip Chapman from the Male
Room in Nelson, will chair the new group.
The government has announced $10 million in funding over the next two years for services of victims of
sexual abuse. This is the first time funds have been specially used for men and the formation of a
governing body would enable them to better distribute the funds.
The next step for the members is to set up a charter, define what their vision is, and what they hope to
achieve as a national structure, and to ensure that they are meeting their contractual obligations.
The new national structure will also provide the opportunity to do some research in New Zealand and to
obtain statistics on the number of males who have been sexually abused, as at present New Zealand does
not have this data. Statistics from overseas indicate that one in four girls and one in six boys were sexually assaulted before the age of 16.
Literature commonly identifies that male victims are less likely than females to disclose Childhood Sexual
Abuse at the time it occurs and they also take longer to discuss their experiences. This is largely due to the
effects of societal myths/stereotypes regarding men and Childhood Sexual Abuse .
One of the many roles of the national structure will be to raise awareness in the health sector including
community agencies, and continue to look at dispelling myths and stereotypes, provide accurate information on the nature and incidence of abuse in males, as well as provide skill development in brief intervention techniques to facilitate disclosure of abuse.
Locally in Nelson, the Male Room supports men in any aspects of men’s health including separation
support and has both trained counsellors and student volunteer counsellors. The Male Room also offers a
peer group for men who have been abused. This small group of men meet every fortnight informally and is
run by the men themselves as a form of survivor’s comradeship.
6
Building Strong Healthy Families
Building Strong Healthy Families is a network of organisations working
together to increase parenting support for migrants and former refugees in
the Nelson area. The organisations involved include Nelson Tasman
Kindergartens, Barnardos, Plunket, Family Start and the Nelson
Multicultural Council.
For several years Nelson Tasman Kindergartens has been providing
parenting support to former refugee families through ‘Parenting in New Zealand’ workshops. These workshops
supported parents to learn, through interpreters, different positive parenting strategies aimed at reducing the
need to use physical discipline. All sessions were well attended and the interpreters became Parenting
Champions through their ongoing interpreting work.
It was identified through these sessions, an increasing need for parenting support and a lack of funding to
provide that support. Community meetings were initiated and have continued to ensure organisations can
support these families in the most appropriate manner. Funds were obtained from the Tindal Foundation to
enable current services to families to continue along with the the use of paid interpreters.
To support sustainability, interpreters will receive training through Plunket. These Interpreters (known as
Champions) will be in each of the different ethnic communities providing parenting support when deemed
necessary.
Nelson Tasman Kindergartens also managers Building Strong Healthy Families and will receive referrals
(available on website www.ntk.org.nz) and pass this onto the most appropriate service, along with the
necessary interpreter support. The project is funded for two years and it is the intention of the Building Strong
Healthy Families group, that trained Champions will provide ongoing support within their communities after the
2-years.
Refugee Water Safety Programme
Victory Community Centre has secured funding for ‘Extending the Hub’ project from the Todd Foundation.
‘Extending the Hub is about developing programmes for the Washington Valley, Victory and Bishopdale
communities physical, cultural and art interests. It was identified In discussion with Red Cross Refugee Services
and Multicultural Council that there are many adult former refugees that were unable to swim and lacked
confidence in and around water. So this summer, Victory Primary School has provided swimming lessons and
the project has already put 19 former refugees through a block of swimming lessons, and 46 people attended a
water safety session at ASB Aquatic Centre. Additional funding means ‘Extending the Hub’ project can continue
and focus on regular water confidence sessions.
7
Keep Victory Safe (KVS) feel safe, be safe – is a unique community-led
project until December 2015.
Vision: A Victory Village where all people feel safe, valued and
empowered.
Mission: To increase safety by building relationships with and between all in
Victory and to develop strong neighbourhood connections to increase people’s
sense of belonging and pride.
At the beginning of the project a survey was completed to assess safety perceptions and concerns of people
who live, work and socialise in Victory. The results formed a picture of where people felt most unsafe and
why. KVS have also gone door to door to hear concerns.
From the outset we have worked to build good strong relationships with residents, business owners, service
providers, Church groups and Iwi in the Victory area.
One of the groups KVS has been working with, are the local business owners. Reporting any concerns to
the police is a big part of KVS messaging. Through this work the business owners have formed a Neighbourhood Support business group with NS.
Social Media and building the “Keep Victory Safe” messaging has been on-going. Starting with the logo then
a facebook page was started and there are four community notice boards out in the Victory area.
Approximately 2500 Fridge magnets with 24 hour emergency numbers were distributed to the Victory
community. These have been very well received and are being used.
Regular newsletters continue to put out key messaging and information to the wider community.
Business and organisation mapping has been undertaken to build a stronger connected feeling in the area.
To date we have 47 organizations signed up onto the Victory Community webpage. This will be added to
with the various church groups and other organizations that we are working with yet to be included.
KVS has worked extremely hard to advocate for the installation of CCTV cameras into the Victory Square
area. All the hard work has paid off and cameras were installed and have already proved their worth in a
recent incident.
A submission to object to the re-licensing of the Victory Liquor Shop is underway. The community has been
signing a petition and are beginning to write group and individual objections, as the alcohol related harm and
issues around under-age drinking plus proximity to playground, preschools and schools makes this a priority
to improve safety in the Victory area
The first community Treasure Hunt was held, where 18 different ‘stations’ from various organizations within
the Victory, area provided fun and education activities. It was a successful day and went a long way toward
creating a greater sense of community identity, belonging and enabled local businesses and organizations
and residents a chance to showcase themselves and socialise and network.
Our priority now is to continue to build community connectedness and form a strong community action group
representing a good cross section of government and non government agencies, iwi, church groups, and
local champions to further the progress we are making in this area of Keeping Victory Safe
8
"Have your say on the draft Victims Code"
Victims are at the heart of Police’s work to prevent and respond to crime – now members of the public
are being asked to make submissions on a document which sets out what victims can expect from
government agencies.
The draft Victims Code aims to provide information on the rights of victims of crime, the services available to them from government and other organisations and government agencies' duties and responsibilities when dealing with victims.
It will support victims so they understand their rights under the Act. Police believes it may lead to an increase in public trust and confidence, encouraging more victims to report crime.
Part 1 of the draft code lists the key principles guiding the work done by providers of services to victims.
Part 2 sets out victims’ legal rights in the criminal and youth justice systems.
The Ministry of Justice is seeking feedback on whether the wording of the Code is clear and easy to understand, and ideas about how it can best promote the Code to victims and the people and organisations
that support them.
Information about how to respond and links to the draft Code can be found on the Ministry of Justice's
website www.justice.govt.nz. Public consultation closes at 5pm on Friday 29 May 2015.
Looking Back Moving Forward Meeting
(our local refugee and migrant action group)

Red Cross Refugee Services:- 'No hitting here' pamphlet has been translated in several languages. It
has been given to translators to distribute in their communities.

Safety and Security: Dave Cogger (Police) used to be Ethnic Liaison Officer. After restructure he
became community constable, with ethnic focus, however his role has changed. Lobbying has been
done, without much result. There is a need for more lobbying which the group will progress.

Keeping Victory Safe is part of helping to make former refugees feel safe. ACE participants often
mention they do not feel safe on the streets. Violence is often unreported. Red Cross Refugee
Services run an orientation programme for all new quota refugees, which includes emergency
preparation. This has been successful but more work is needed.
9
Nelson Strengthening Families Newsletter – Summer 2015
Strengthening Families and Nelson Bays
Primary Health Contact details:
281 Queen Street,
Richmond.
Phone numbers:
DDI 03 543 7825
Mobile 021 875 318
Fax 03 5394958
Email: Kerry.budge@nbph.org.nz
Strengthening Families Goal
Strengthening Families is an early intervention
tool used to develop a plan that will improve social, health and education outcomes for children,
young people and families/whānau. So far this financial year over 60 families have accessed this
process.
Since December 2014, family evaluations have
stated the following about the Strengthening
Families process….
100% of the 28 families surveyed have stated
that they strongly agree or agree that;
a) People listened to my family / whᾱnau,
b) Strengthening Families has improved our family /
whᾱnau life,
c) Strengthening Families helped our family / whᾱnau,
d) My family / whᾱnau got access to the services we
needed,
e) The lead agency kept us informed on our action plan,
f) We would recommend Strengthening Families to
other families / whᾱnau,
g) My culture / ethnicity was respected at Strengthening Families meeting
Referral data
Successful Local Case Study
Agencies Involved: Special Education Services, Child
Development Services, Support Works, Medical Centre,
Compass Health Network.
Issues:
1. Child’s health and disability.
2. Other employment (self-employment Stress)
3. Isolation from family/whānau
4. Parenting/child management
5. Parent/caregivers mental health
Outcomes:
Regular and consistent mental health support for mother.
Relationship counselling. Continued co-ordinated support between agencies for the child with special needs.
10
Local statistics show that there have been referrals
from 28 different agencies to date this financial year.
Of these 9% came from the Education sector, 30%
from the Health sector, 21% from NGO’s, 1.8% from
the Justice sector and 34% from the Welfare sector.
The rest were Self referrals, an area of growth that has
increased exponentially during this time.
Local Issues identified
Data gathered from 01/12/2014 – 01/03/2015 note
that the three top issues for which family/whānau
have asked the Strengthening Families process for
support are
a) Parenting/child management
b) Financial situation/hardship
c) Lack of Support
Nelson Strengthening Families Newsletter – Summer 2015
Facilitator Training
The latest training for Richmond and Nelson was
held on 11th March 2015. This was attended by 7
potential facilitators from 5 agencies who are new
to being involved with Strengthening Families at this
level. Regular and quality professional development
is offered to all facilitators, so their skills and
knowledge are updated and transferrable to all government sector or non-government organisations
(NGO) agencies. We hope to secure funding from
MSD to continue our regional professional development forums later this year.
Did you know…?
Children’s Action Plan (CAP): Identifying,
Supporting and Protecting Vulnerable
Children
Peter Hughes, Secretary for Education and member of
the Vulnerable Children’s Board, Ministry of Education
has said in the latest CAP Newsletter
“…….. the work being done around the Children’s Action
Plan is going to make a great contribution to the futures
of our most vulnerable children. By working alongside
our colleagues in the Police, Health, Justice and Social
Development together with our iwi and NGO partners
we can ensure that all our children are safe, healthy and
given all the support they need to realise their
potential.”
11
The ‘ABC’ easy referral to Strengthening Families
Ask the following questions:

Does this family have children under 18 years

Does the family have at least one organisation or
agency working with them?

Does this family want support to overcome a variety
of challenges?

If the answer is ‘yes’ to the above questions then go
to B.
B: Support family to fill in referral and consent form.
This can be obtained from:
www.nbph.org.nz
Kerry.budge@nbph.org.nz
C: Post, fax or email Referral and Consent form to
Co-ordinator − details below.
If you are still unsure, contact Kerry at any stage.
If you would like me to visit your organisation to discuss
updates about Strengthening Families, related roles,
make a referral, or have a conversation about a
potential referral you can contact me below:
Kerry Budge
Strengthening Families Coordinator
Nelson Bays Primary Health
Level 1, 281 Queen Street, Richmond
Phone: 03 543 7825
Mobile: 021 875 318
Email: kerry.budge@nbph.org.nz
Environment Section—On and Off Road
Stopping distance demonstrations
aim to slow traffic
Thirty spectacular stopping distance demonstrations, complete with moving cars, cut out figures and fake blood,
were displayed outside Tasman Schools during Monday 16 March – Friday 20 March to help remind drivers to
slow down. In total there were 13 Tasman Schools with around 2,500 children and adults witnessing one of the
demonstrations. During each evening of the week there were additional demonstration’s at a location in Nelson,
targeting more families and the Nelson community. There were also an additional evening demonstration in
Motueka.
During each demonstration, a trained driving instructor showed how speed affects stopping distances. There
were three runs with the car travelling at a different speed each time, but always starting and applying the
brakes at the same time. The three different speeds the car travelled at were 20kmh, 50kmh and 60kmh. The
last run at 60kmh showed how just an extra 10kmh affects a driver’s ability to stop in time for a pedestrian (with
the help of cardboard models). The demonstrations were also intended to remind children the dangers of stepping out in front of a moving vehicle and that the road is no playground.
Speed is a major factor in crash statistics and travelling just 10kmh above the speed limit can make the difference between life and death.
“Nowhere is it more important to emphasise the impact of speeding than outside our schools, so we are inviting
schools and their wider communities to join us so that we can help make our roads safer.” Says Tasman District
Council’s road safety coordinator Krista Hobday.
The demonstrations are being run by Tasman District Council and Nelson City Council, with support from Fulton
Hogan, Mediaworks, Civil Defence, and many others.
Full locations, days, times and details can be found on the Tasman District Council website -
Photos and videos are uploaded to Ride to Live facebook pages - https://www.facebook.com/RidetoLiveNZ
12
Cyclists get bright about safety
The Be Bright Campaign is being kicked off in Nelson and 11 other
cities around country in an effort to reduce cycling accidents and increase awareness of cycling safety.
It encourages cyclists to light up their bikes and wear high—visibility
clothing to keep them safe on the road during low light times and bad
weather.
The campaign, which is being run by Bike Wise, the New Zealand
Police and Nelson City Council, will involve checkpoints at key cycling locations, roving cycle ambassadors and cycling ambassadors
attending events.
Police will check reflective gear and lights at checkpoints and those
who pass with flying colours will be rewarded with bells and puncture
repair kits, while those without adequate gear will be given free gear
while stocks last.
The ambassadors will offer to fit lights onto bikes and give out highvisibility gear at no cost.
Cyclists are also being reminded that they can get a free bell for their
bike from the customer service centre at the council to use on shared
pathways, to avoid alarming walkers and joggers.
Bikers Fuel up with bacon and eggs
More than 50 bikers turned up on Wednesday 15 April for bacon and eggs. The event held by Nelson City
Council and Tasman City Council, aimed to celebrate the freedom of motorcycling and raise awareness of road
safety. ACC was promoting safe riding at the event through the Ride Forever initiative. The programme offers a
full—day training subsidised by ACC and the council so riders can get feedback from an expert trainer. There
are different courses to suit beginners and more experienced riders
13
Workplace Section
WORKSAFE NZ – SAFER FARMS
WorkSafe NZ launched the Safer Farms programme in
February this year. The programme follows on from the
Quad Bike Project that focused on reducing quad bike accidents and fatalities. Safer Farms takes a broader approach
to health and safety management on farms and vehicles
used on the farm.

Media campaign
Sector and stakeholder training initiatives
Guidance and other support resources

A dedicated website www.saferfarms.org.nz


2013: The data tells the story
Last year, 20 people were killed working in agriculture
which makes it the single most dangerous occupation in
New Zealand. The rolling average of workplace fatalities is
around 75, so agriculture is responsible for over 33% of the
deaths. That is simply unacceptable and is why WorkSafe
need to broaden their approach and get the message
across that farming is a workplace.
To give some perspective, WorkSafe NZ is focusing its
work in four priority sectors – agriculture, forestry, construction and manufacturing. Last year the latter three racked up
(an equally unacceptable) total of 17 between them – three
fewer than agriculture managed on its own.
WorkSafe NZ priority sector deaths:
Agriculture
20
Forestry
10
Construction
6
Manufacturing
1
What killed agricultural workers:
Vehicles
(quads,
tractors, mobile plant)
Gender
18
Average age
48
Claims on ACC
88,017 total claims
Claims cost
$136.6 million
The rate
1 in 6 agricultural workers claimed
for injury. 18.7 per 1000 workers
claimed for a severe injury
Male 19, female 1
What resources are available?
WorkSafe has produced a toolkit to help farmers get started on managing their
health and safety systems – the kit contains:

Helpful cover information outlining what a safer farm looks like, and what

they can expect if an inspector calls – both things we’ve been told they want
to know
An assessment page to help farmers determine where they are in terms of

the H&S practice, going from not started through to best practice
Information about the legal duties of different people on the farm

Templates to use to establish their health and safety systems – hazard

registers, accident registers, training schedules, emergency plans etc.
Fact sheets for the hazard areas (quads, tractors, animals, etc).

So what does the programme involve?
The programme seeks to increase farmer awareness and understanding of on-farms risks, improve their uptake of effective
controls of risks and improve sector leadership in health and
safety. Safer Farms is a “call to action” to all those involved in
the rural community to do their bit to improve farm safety and
uses a combined approach to lift safety performance by:


Focused inspector assessments
Local and national stakeholder engagement
14
There is also a lot of information available on our website and a tool produced to help farmers assess how they are doing in managing health and
safety on their farm. Check out www.saferfarms.org.nz
What is being done in Nelson/Marlborough?


A launch was held in Tapawera to introduce the Safer Farms programme –
key industry representatives attended.
Inspectors have visited most rural areas and have either delivered the Safer

Farms toolkit or introduced the idea to farmers and provided a range of guidance material.
Follow up visits will continue to fully assess farmers and inform farmers of

their legal obligations.
Notices will continue to be issued where there is non-compliance – the number of these has been lessening as farmers get the message.
Work levy and motor vehicle levies April
2015
On 1 April the first of a series of ACC levy cuts will kick in, returning an estimated
$480 million to the New Zealand economy – and kiwis’ wallets. From 1 April 2015
the Work account levy paid by businesses will decrease by an average of 5%. This
levy covers workplace injuries. From 1 July 2015 the Motor Vehicle levy paid when
people register or renew their rego will go down by an average of 41%. The specific amount will be determined
by a new risk rating applied to different types of vehicles.
The petrol levy kiwis pay at the pump will also go down by 3 cents per litre on 1 July – from 9.90 cents to 6.90
cents per litre.
A quick overview of ACC levies
ACC collects different types of levies, to help pay for the cost of injuries that happen in different situations. For
example:

a work levy is paid by employers and self-employed people, to help cover the costs of work-related injuries

an earners’ levy is paid by everyone in the paid workforce, to help cover the costs of earners’ out-of-work
injuries

motor vehicle levies are paid by vehicle owners, and

a petrol levy is included in the cost of petrol bought at the pump, to help cover the costs of injuries involving
a moving motor vehicle on a public road.
ACC is taking a new approach to calculating light passenger motor vehicle levies, based on how well the
vehicle can protect occupants and other road users from serious injury in a crash.
How it works
From 1 July 2015 most light passenger motor vehicles registered in New Zealand will be assigned a levy band
- a number between 1 and 4:

1 – a vehicle with the most risk

4 – a vehicle with the least risk.
What we found
Data collected from over 5.5 million police reported crashes in Australia and New Zealand since 1987 where
someone was killed or seriously injured, form the basis of the levy calculation process.
Driver protection (crashworthiness) and protection for other road users (aggressivity) were taken into consideration by Monash University when they analysed the data and the levy bands were calculated.
As far as possible, the levy bands reflect safety performance related to vehicle design and control for a range
of non-vehicle related factors such as gender, age, speed and number of vehicles involved.
When it starts
The new system for light passenger vehicles comes into effect on 1 July 2015. There are different licensing
periods set out on your motor vehicle license renewal form. To make sure you don’t pay more than necessary
you can opt for a shorter licensing period, eg renewing your license to July 2015, and again in July to take advantage of the reduced levy.
Factors that influence a vehicle’s rating band
 bands are calculated based on data relating to:
 vehicle performance in an accident
injuries to people both inside and outside the vehicle in an accident.
The band allocation is associated only with vehicle make and model, and not with driver behaviour (including
experience, speed, alcohol-use and fatigue) or road design.
http://www.acc.co.nz/for-individuals/other-motorists/WPC137732 www.acc.co.nz/levies
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HEADS UP ON THE NEXT NELSON
HEALTH AND SAFETY EXPO
The next Nelson based Health and Safety Expo
will be on the 14th October. We will advise
where the venue will be, and theme closer to
the time!
Sport Tasman is investing in ensuring that the facilities within the
Nelson / Tasman region that they manage; Saxton Stadium, Richmond
Town Hall and the Motueka Recreation Centre are operating safely.
Sport Tasman has in place good health and safety processes with all
facilities having an approved health and safety policy that is subjected to regular audits from Council. In
addition the facilities undergo an annual building warrant of fitness check as well as all of our facility team
holding workplace first aid certificates. Each facility also houses a defibulator (AED). For our venues that
operate OSCAR (Out of School Care Programmes) we are also subject to an external audit through Child
Youth and Family every two years and again testing our health and safety processes is a key part of this audit.
General Manager of Facilities for Sport Tasman, Brent Maru said the area of Health and Safety is a priority for
our team this year and as an organisation, we have invested heavily in upskilling three of our facility
managers. Our managers attend three 2 day courses to ensure that they have the necessary training and
experience to provide a full review of our current policies.
We have a good health and safety record, but there is always room for improvement. It is absolutely a priority
for me that we have robust systems and practices in place to ensure that that the safety of all of our staff,
volunteers, contractors, users and visitors is paramount. Visiting our facilities is all about the experience and
leaving injured is not an experience we want for anyone.
Government have clearly signalled that H&S is to a priority with the new
legislation currently before the house. In its current draft form this will
have a significant effect on the sport and recreation sector, more so on
voluntary sports clubs and groups who will now have a responsibility
under the new act.
If by undertaking the training and the subsequent review of our
processes and systems can reduce injuries then we consider it money
well invested.
.
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Substances Section
Healthcare Variation
Data Will Inform DHB Monitoring
Findings of the Health Quality and Safety Commission’s Atlas of Healthcare Variation provides valuable
data that will add to our regional monitoring and understanding of the many factors that go into prescribing
opioids, says Nelson Marlborough District Health Board’s Chief Pharmacist Graham Parton.
“Opioids are a class of medications with a range of uses and products that follows a centuries-old history of
medical developments. They are highly effective in treating severe pain in surgery, trauma, cancer
treatments and palliative care. They include morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, pethidine as well as tramadol
and codeine.
“The medicines are a boon for medical care and the Atlas data helps us to understand how we are treating
people in our region.
“The use of opioids is one of the most effective and humane medical interventions available to health care
practitioners. When assessing whether to prescribe painkillers for a patient, there are a number of
considerations that clinicians review such as the severity of their pain, their overall health status and
whether it’s likely to be short or long term use of opioids.
“Plus, there is consideration of other medications the patient may be taking and their combination, whether
surgery and other treatments are involved. So it’s a complex set of conditions to take into account when
prescribing, particularly when you consider that each patient will be treated according to their individual
needs.
“There are clear benefits for patients and the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board (NMDHB) actively
supports the reduction of harm that can be associated with the use of opioids. There are a number of
developments to share here, for example:

Since 2012, NMDHB regional data shows a significant downward trend in the use of oxycodone in
hospital and primary care in Nelson and Marlborough.

We have also set up a new team – the Medicines Management Group – to look at medicines use
across the district. It is chaired by a local community pharmacist and the team has wide representation
made up of primary and hospital care providers.

The district health board also supports of the use of Health Pathways which is an online tool for sharing
best practice among local clinicians and guidelines for hospital doctors.

NMDHB does consider alternative treatment in place of using opioids to treat severe pain and those
options can be as diverse as the patients and populations we serve.”
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