MEDIA RELEASE - ALCOHOL ADVISORY COUNCIL
For immediate use
4 April 2008
1pm
Early intervention by Hamilton’s Maori Wardens shown to defuse potentially violent incidents
A programme using Maori Wardens to intervene in the early stages of alcohol fuelled disturbances in Hamilton City has
found they neutralise 78 percent of the incidents they attend, before the incidents get out of control.
The result was revealed to the Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) conference in Rotorua today by one of the project’s
designers, ACC Injury Prevention Consultant Ted Breach.
Mr Breach told the conference delegates that the four month programme, which he believed was a first, set out last year
to reduce crime and injury resulting from hazardous Friday and Saturday night drinking.
“The worst time is from about 11:30 on Saturday night to about 4 on Sunday morning. Research tells us that young Maori
men are among the groups most likely to be involved in hazardous drinking; that’s why we decided to employ Maori Wardens
in the pilot,” Mr Breach told the conference.
Mr Breach said six Maori Wardens were upskilled by the police in controlling crowds and how to use police radios. They
were also taught about health and safety and liquor licensing laws. “Equipped with new skills and new knowledge, they
went out in cars supplied by police iwi liaison, investigating and dealing with minor incidents or gatherings of youths.
“It wasn’t a matter of just having another six pairs of eyes on the street. The wardens are respected by both Maori and
non-Maori and have a very ‘user friendly’ appeal in the community. This placed them in a good position to defuse
situations before they got out of control,” Mr Breach told the conference.
The “Rapid Response Team” as the Maori Wardens force was known, followed up tips from the public as well as calls from
police communications staff who were able to contact them directly to investigate various incidents.
“It was important to ACC that we quantify the value of the Rapid Response Team. We analysed the incidents they went to
and found they pacified 78 percent of them – that is valuable work to ACC because it’s intervention in potential
injuries that we don’t have to pay out for.”
The pilot now finished, ACC is looking for partners to continue funding the wardens’ work. “ACC is continuing to fund
some of the team’s work, and the police are still providing some resources, but it goes only so far and the wardens are
having now to meet many of their own expenses.
“They do such a great job, they are worthy of support of other Hamilton businesses.”
ends