6 March 2001

Te Kohanga Reo Kids Learn About Safety On Auckland City Roads

A healthy pathway for Te Kohanga Reo pre-school children was given the thumbs up at a recent Transport and Roading Committee meeting.

“Te Ara Hauora (The Healthy Pathway) is a unique resource kit specifically designed for Te Kohanga Reo teachers so they can improve road safety awareness and skills among young Maori children,” says committee chairwoman Councillor Catherine Harland.

Part of the ‘Embrace Life’ project which started in 1999, Te Ara Hauora is a specialised programme dedicated to introducing young children to safe road use practices. Lessons cover how to cross the road safely, getting in and out of cars on the footpath side and being especially careful of cars backing out of driveways.

“Te Ara Hauroa is written for Maori, by Maori in the Maori language and targets the pre-school age group, one of the most at-risk groups in our community,” says Councillor Harland.

“A key component of child learning is parental involvement and this programme has been structured in a way that parents are kept up to date with written explanations, so they too can reinforce the road safety message at home”.

“The programme has been greeted with much positive support and will be introduced on a regional basis”. My hope is that it will eventually become a national resource.

“Te Ara Hauora is an excellent example of partnerships in action, with the coming together of Auckland City Council, A+ Health Promotion Maori Resource Development Unit and the Land Transport Safety Authority.”

“It is part of Auckland City’s multi-tiered approach to promoting road safety, which involves a collaborative approach to planning, finances and hands-on implementation across many organisations.”

Auckland City has been allocated $198,000 by the Land Transport Safety Authority to fund and co-ordinate road safety projects. In addition to Te Ara Hauora, projects being promoted include a pedestrian safety campaign, an intersection safety campaign and a priority road users programme. The latter is aimed at a community level and specifically focuses on promoting sober driving and the need to wear safety belts and use child car restraints.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Councillor Catherine Harland, tel:636 8464.

© Scoop Media