There has been a lot of focus on Newtown in recent months, with many concerns about safety on our streets, both for local residents and businesses and for the vulnerable people who have found their way here. This was the topic of another recent post.

On 22 May 2025 WCC Councillors passed a resolution asking Council Officers to prepare “a report on the current safety and wellbeing situation in Newtown, including maintenance and lighting, as part of the next City Safety Plan briefing and recommend what further actions could be taken to improve these issues”. These documents were released last week, and reported on by RNZ this week. 

There are links to these documents  below, if you want a more in-depth look –
The Newtown Safety Advice and Action Plan, which sets out a tailored, short-term response that reflects the unique context of Newtown and the need for coordinated action across agencies and community partners.
and The August 2025 CPTED Report, which provides the evidence base for environmental improvements and outlines the priority sites identified by the Newtown community.