History
Neighbourhood Support Manawatu has a long history under a number of different names, and variations of strategic wording, but ultimately has been working to our current goals since 1984! Here is a more detailed timeline of our evolution.
1983-84
The first Neighbourhood Watch group is started in Feilding, in close partnership with the then Feilding Borough Council & Feilding Police. Areas were mapped and numbered, and public meetings were held to engage the community.
1987
Feilding Neighbourhood Watch reaches approximately a dozen active areas, which were then divided into smaller groups to make them more manageable. Group and street coordinators were also appointed.
1988-onwards
Our network increases in size to cover Feilding and then spread into the wider Manawatu community and rural areas.
1994
Feilding Neighbourhood Watch becomes the Manawatu District Safer Community Council, known as Safer Manawatu, under the umbrella of Manawatu District Council.
2000
Safer Manawatu becomes an Incorporated Society to better serve its community, allowing us to seek funding from other sources to be effective in providing crime prevention projects to be delivered in the community. Neighbourhood Support New Zealand is incorporated.
2004
Safer Manawatu becomes known as a service provider to establish the Neighbourhood Support Group Network for the Manawatu District.
2009
Safer Manawatu becomes a registered charity.
2013
Safer Manawatu is renamed as Manawatu District Neighbourhood Support
2021 and beyond
We simplify our name to Neighbourhood Support Manawatu, and continue to build on our work over the years, to expand our network throughout the Manawatu District, maintain good communication with Feilding Police and assist them to reduce crime, share information with the community on crime prevention related issues and problems, and raise public awareness of the need to be connected with your neighbours