Study of dog control strategies.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To explore the relationship between regionally implemented dog control strategies and dog bite injuries (DBIs) and (2) to evaluate current implementation of dog control strategies. METHODS: Observational study using a nationwide online survey of territorial authorities (TAs). Domains of interest included complaints for attacks on people, dog population, primary and secondary prevention strategies, resourcing and perspectives of current strategies. Quantitative variables were compared with DBI Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) claims by region from 2014 to 2018. RESULTS: Two-thirds of TAs (70%; n=47/67) responded to the survey. No clear relationship was observed between DBIs and: registered dog population, proportion sterilisations or microchipping, classifications due to dog behaviour, or existing limited resourcing. Legislated breeds and infringements for failure to control a dog or non-registration were higher in areas with greater DBIs. Educational messages varied widely and were predominantly victim directed (67%; n=71/106). Complaints for dog attacks on people were lower than DBIs in most areas, with no formal cross-agency notification policies. Few prosecutions or dog destruction orders were made. CONCLUSIONS: Regional inequity in DBIs could not be explained by differences in the registered dog population or dog control strategies. Minimal and inequitable resourcing exists to implement current dog control strategies and provide owner-directed education. Gaps in legislation include environmental barrier requirements for all dogs (leash/muzzle use, adequate fencing), notification of incidents and child protection. Partnership with the Indigenous community (Maori) and other community groups will be required to implement these measures successfully.

Aspiring toward Pae Ora: Values and strengths-based child safety messaging in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

On-going inequities in rates of fatal and non-fatal injury between tamariki Maori (Indigenous children) and non-Maori children in Aotearoa (New Zealand) are unacceptable and highlight breaches by the Crown in their obligations to Maori, outlined in Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi). Safekids Aotearoa, a national organisation tasked with reducing unintentional injuries to children (0-14 years), is shifting the focus of its programmes and resources to better align with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to honour Maori knowledge, ideas and principles to eliminate inequity and support the pursuit of Pae Ora: Maori health aspirations for flourishing whanau (families) and tamariki. We provide an overview of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its relevance to child injury prevention and the Te Tiriti-led response by Safekids Aotearoa, particularly around approaches to developing values and strengths-based safety messages. In doing so, we challenge and counter pervasive barriers to achieving equity and Pae Ora and describe how identifying and incorporating shared Maori values in a Te Tiriti-led agenda supports the work, ethos, programmes and relationships of Safekids Aotearoa in its journey toward equitable outcomes and Pae Ora for all. We highlight the importance of embedding prevention efforts and advocacy within a holistic framework of tamariki and whanau well-being embracing capability and strengths-based approaches.

The shape of the New Zealand child injury prevention workforce.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of the New Zealand child injury prevention workforce and the organisations they represent. METHODS: Representatives of organisations on the Safekids Aotearoa database were invited to complete an online survey. The standardised questionnaire asked for information about injury prevention focus and expertise, communication preferences and information access. RESULTS: Of 196 respondents, the majority were female and identified as New Zealand European. For only a small proportion of respondents, child injury prevention is the main focus of their role. The key sources of child injury data and injury prevention information identified was Safekids Aotearoa, followed by the Ministry of Health. Respondents indicated that they would like to receive information on new research, training opportunities and upcoming events, and information from other organisations. CONCLUSIONS: Males and people of Pacific and Asian ethnicity are under-represented in the New Zealand child injury prevention workforce in New Zealand. The low engagement of the sector with Maori authorities is of concern, given the inequities in rates of child injury that exist. IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: There is a need to conduct a wider and more regular audit of the child injury prevention sector to determine its composition and identify areas of concern.

Kawa haumaru: a matauranga Maori approach to child safety in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Enduring health inequities exist between Maori and non-Maori children within child injury prevention in Aotearoa. These inequities reflect broader patterns of health inequity experienced by Indigenous peoples globally and in Aotearoa. We assert their existence is the result of the ongoing impacts of colonisation and the dominant Pakeha framing by which injury prevention messages and interventions in Aotearoa have largely been developed. We argue the need for a strengths-based approach, grounded in matauranga Maori (traditional Maori knowledge) and te ao Maori (traditional Maori worldview) perspectives, to form the basis of more effective child injury prevention messaging and interventions. In this viewpoint, we detail foundational elements of matauranga Maori, tikanga (customs), kawa (practices) and matapono (values) that underlie Maori culture and contain protective elements and safety principles that can be readily applied to injury prevention messaging. We present two values-based child-rearing practices: (1) tuakana (older sibling/s) and teina (younger sibling/s) relationships and (2) kotahitanga (collective), which are determined by matapono that illustrate the value of a Maori framework. Incorporating a kaupapa Maori (Maori perspective/s) approach to injury prevention is necessary to reduce health inequities between Maori and non-Maori. Moreover, it offers a culturally safe approach that is responsive to Maori and enables tamariki (children) and whanau (families) to flourish.