Safer Community Trust well underway

Mayor Rick Cooper is excited that moves to make Taupo a safer place is a step closer, with a Council representative and trustees being appointed to a Safer Community Trust.

Council’s Taupo-Kaingaroa/Mangakino-Pouakani Committee recently appointed Gareth Green, Council’s Environmental Services Manager, to the Trust as a Council representative.

Mr Green said he was pleased to be given the opportunity to represent the community on the Trust. “With a young family, this is something I am very passionate about,” he said.

A selection panel has also appointed three independent positions to the Trust - Mahau Kingi, Maria Simeona and Ted Swanney.

Back in May, Mayor Rick Cooper called for likeminded people with the skills, experience and the time to apply for a position as a trustee.

“I was impressed with the quality of the applicants - the selection panel had a difficult job with only picking three of them. Congratulations to those selected and thank you to all of the applicants for putting their names forward.”

The three final Trust positions will shortly be filled by representatives from NZ Police, Taupo Principals Association, and Town Centre Taupo. These organisations are each in the process of nominating representatives and the Trust is expected to be operational by the end of September.

The Trust will work within Taupo town and its surrounds with a specific focus on safety promotion and crime prevention. The Trust will develop a strategy to achieve crime prevention – something which has been a hot topic among Taupo residents since the murder of Karen Aim in February. It is also intended that they will facilitate integration and coordination between community organisations in Taupo.

One of the ways it is envisaged the Trust will communicate with the community will be through a community forum on safety and crime prevention. The forum will provide an opportunity for members of the public to contribute ideas for promoting safety.