Education and partnership focus brings Clued-up Kids 2025 to life

Published on 06 August 2025

From dogs to quad bikes – Council’s education and engagement team collaborates with community organisations and businesses to deliver safety smarts to Waitaki school kids.

291 students from 17 schools took part in the 2025 Clued-Up Kids programme this week at the Waitaki Recreation Centre – learning valuable safety skills in a fun, hands-on environment.

Organised by Waitaki District Council’s education staff and featuring members of Council’s Animal Management and Emergency Management teams, students rotated through interactive safety stations covering:

• Road safety

• First aid (with St Johns Ambulance)

• Safe use of batteries (Waitaki District Council and Fire and Emergency NZ)

• Animal safety, particularly around dogs (Animal Management with VetLife Ōamaru)

• Safety around electricity (with Network Waitaki)

• Safety around irrigation and waterways (North Otago Irrigation Company)

• Firearm safety (with Oamaru Sports & Outdoors)

• Emergency Management (Otago Civil Defence Emergency Management)

• Scooter Safety (with NZ Police and Sport Waitaki)

• Quad Bike Safety (with Five Forks Young Farmers)

• Keeping calm in an emergency - Enhance OT

As part of Waitaki District Council’s transformation programme, our community education roles have been brought together into the Communications and Engagement Team. The diverse skills of our educators from across our facilities are now combined to provide high-quality education and engagement for the whole district in the areas of arts and culture, road safety, waste minimisation and sustainability.

Our Animal Management team also deliver dog safety education as part of Council’s recently update 2024 Dog By-Law and Control Policy that prioritises education before enforcement.

Waitaki District Council would like to thank all of the partner organisations for their time, energy and commitment to educating and informing the young people of Waitaki on how to make sensible, safe decisions.

ENDS

media@waitaki.govt.nz