Media Release | Safekids unveils interactive exhibition on home safety

Safekids Aotearoa today announced the Safekids Safety Whare — a travelling exhibition that will visit 10 regions throughout New Zealand in 2017, to raise awareness about the leading injuries in tamariki; those that happen in the home. 

Made possible with funding from Starship Foundation, and brought to communities by Mobil, the large 10 x 2 metre exhibition looks like a real whare (house), but with digital, interactive and artistic demonstrations showing how to prevent falls, burns, swallowing of button batteries, cutting and piercing, drowning, poisoning, driveway runover injuries, as well as how to encourage safe sleeping.

Every year, 48 Kiwi children are killed, and every month, 231 are hospitalised from injuries in the home. Most of these injuries happen before a child’s fifth birthday.

The cost of injuries occurring in the home for children under five years old is also a huge burden to the economy — ACC claims amount to $29M per year.

Ann Weaver, Safekids Aotearoa Director, said: “Partnering with communities, we invite whānau to visit ‘our house’, to touch, experience, have a conversation and take away important lessons on what they can do to prevent children from being seriously injured in their own homes.”

Brad Clark, Starship Foundation Chief Executive, said keeping children out of hospital is an important part of the healthcare equation. “We support Safekids’ programmes, like the Safekids Safety Whare, which aim to reduce the rates of preventable injury in our tamariki.”

The Safekids Safety Whare will be on display at Auckland City Hospital from 6-9 December 2016 and will go on a roadshow in 2017, visiting 10 regions around New Zealand as part of Safekids’ three-year home safety programme, in partnership with ACC.  

Below are the confirmed tour venues and dates (more venues to be announced soon):

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