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Did you know: "Every week Castlecorp staff pick up an average of 37,000 rubbish bags."
11 August 2010
Rotorua International Safe Community
Rotorua achieved International Safe Community status following an evaluation from members of Safe Communities Foundation NZ.
In May 2010, the Treasure Rotorua Steering Group which is coordinated by Rotorua District Council, hosted the review team for its assessment of whether Rotorua had met six key criteria required for designation as an International Safe Community. Rotorua District Council Safe Community designation leader Amy Royston says the assessment day provided an opportunity to showcase some of the community's wide range of safety projects.
"The review team observed the Aquatic Centre's Unison Lake Safety programme in action, falls prevention, a driveway safety demonstration at City Focus, and saw how Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design has been implemented in Rotorua."
"The day was a huge success, and it's a great achievement for Rotorua. It's recognition of the many groups and individuals who play a part in improving safety for our community."
"The accreditation does not imply that Rotorua is perfectly safe. However it does confirm that, as a community, we are absolutely committed to making Rotorua as safe as possible for our residents and for the hundreds of thousands of people who visit every year."
Safe Communities Foundation NZ director Dr Carolyn Coggan says the review team was highly impressed with the calibre of Rotorua's application document. She stated:
"It is one of the most comprehensive from New Zealand or around the world. There is a range of comprehensive crime prevention and safety programmes operating, and outcomes have been identified to measure their reach and impact, including 27% decrease in injury deaths between 2001-2005 and an overall decrease in crimes of 24% between July 2003 and 2008."
"It is evident that there is good collaboration between different groups in Rotorua working to improve safety and reduce the injury and crime burden"
Dr Coggan also said the review team thought it was inspiring that the Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters is obviously so supportive of the project and is right behind the community.
Treasure Rotorua is made up of representatives from Rotorua District Council, Castlecorp, Rotorua Police, Toi Te Ora, Lakes DHB, ACC, Neighbourhood Support, Te Waiariki Purea Trust, MSD and local iwi.
Rotorua is ISC #200 and the 14th Council to achieve ISC accreditation in New Zealand. Further information can be found by visiting the Safe Communities Foundation NZ web site http://www.safecommunities.org.nz/sc/roto
April 14, 2010
Rural Fire TV Stars
Dave Mason Productions was in Rotorua last week filming a segment for 'Just The Job' to be screened on TV2 in June later this year. The shoot was based around the career of a Volunteer Rural Fire Fighter and was funded by NZ on Air and Fire & Rescue Industry Training Organisation. A director, cameraman and researcher spent two days filming at Lake Okareka, Helipro and Castlecorp for what will screen as a 7 minute segment. The piece is centred around Kieran Oppatt who has been a volunteer at the Lake Okareka Rural Fire Force since he was 16. The filming included interviews, a staged callout, dry run drills with a helicopter, as well as Lake Okareka volunteers working with the helicopter filling monsoon buckets and practising fighting a vegetation fire. This provided an excellent opportunity for positive media coverage on national television for both RDC and its Rural Fire Volunteers. We are hopeful that young people seeing this programme will be encouraged to become volunteer rural fire fighters for their local communities. Our Rural Fire forces depend on volunteers and it is particularly important to keep young people coming through the ranks, and hopefully this TV programme aimed at youth will achieve this.
Mijo Katavic
Castlecorp Business Manager
April 14, 2010
Touch a Truck Day
Castlecorp assisted with Save the Children fundraising efforts at the third annual ‘Touch a Truck Day’ at Arawa Park on Sunday [11 April]. Five vehicles including a rubbish truck, tractor, water service truck and two Rural Fire vehicles were provided with minders to supervise children as they had fun with the large ‘toys’.