Located 100 kilometres northeast of central Auckland lies Great Barrier Island, home to just under 1,000 residents who enjoy a unique lifestyle far removed from that of their city-dwelling neighbours.

Counties Manukau SO Roy Williams and FRMO Emma Goldsworthy saw the benefit of connecting with this independent and innovative community and headed over earlier this month to build relationships and promote fire safety in both English and te reo Māori.

Their mahi included an impactful interview with the local radio station “Aotea FM”, and presentations to the schools on the island. One of the schools Emma and Roy attended was bilingual and Roy was able to engage them on the importance of fire safety in te reo Māori.

During an evening connecting with the locals, they received positive feedback from the parents who said they had heard all about the importance of smoke alarms from their children and the key message of “get down, get low, get out!”. 

“We also had a number of comments on our radio segment which was fantastic to hear and meant our messages were getting heard”, Emma reported.

Emma and Roy were hosted by Motairehe Marae who welcomed them on with a powhiri, which was followed by open conversations on the local’s concerns regarding fires in the area and what they can do to protect their whānau and community.

“We were spoiled by the hosts and the conversations were highly informative on both sides. We hope to make this an annual visit”, Emma Goldsworthy.

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