20 years of valuable support
By: Stephen Matthews
New Zealand Police
This month marks the 20 anniversary of Neighbourhood Support New Zealand
(NSNZ) - and the signing of a refreshed Memorandum of Understanding with
Police.
“Police partners with a number of agencies and organisations to achieve shared goals and
prevent crime,” says Eric Tibbott, National Prevention Manager.
“NSNZ remains a key strategic partner for NZP, providing an invaluable service to a diverse
range of communities’ right across New Zealand.
“As we look across our drivers of demand, engaging with our communities to ensure they
are safe and connected is more important than ever.”
NSNZ is an independent, community-led organisation. It has 69 member organisations,
more than 80 area coordinators, and 18,000-plus volunteers across the country.
Its aim is to create safe, resilient and connected communities across Aotearoa.
“Twenty years ago we moved from Neighbourhood Watch to Neighbourhood Support,
marking a greater focus on connecting people rather than solely preventing crime,” says
Louise Grevel, Chairperson of Neighbourhood Support New Zealand.
“This stronger focus on wellbeing was ahead of its time in many ways, and continues to drive our organisation. After 20 years it’s appropriate to celebrate where we have come and our refreshed Memorandum of Understanding with Police.”
The new MOU has three desired outcomes:
+ Enhance community safety and community capability to prevent crime and victimisation
+ Strengthen community preparedness to deal with emergencies and natural disasters
+ Enhance consistency and quality of Neighbourhood Support service delivery through New Zealand to meet the Police purpose of ‘Be Safe, Feel Safe’.
NSNZ CEO Tess Casey says the refreshed MOU is designed to be more practical and useful.
“It has meaning for all levels of the organisation, enabling greater understanding across the
districts about how the partnership with Police works,” she says.
“A further action plan will be developed to guide our activities and what we will achieve
over the next 12 months.”
If you would like a copy of the new MOU in full, please email:
kelsey@neighbourhoodsupport.co.nz
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To learn more about how we create safer, more caring and connected streets, visit the Neighbourhood Support website here: neighbourhoodsupport.co.nz