Public Events - Water Walkers Campaign  

The <I>Water Walkers</I> campaign was a regional alcohol team effort with the Timaru, Greymouth and Christchurch offices of Community & Public Health. In 1999-2000 the regional public health provider piloted <I>water walkers</I> at various outdoor events where alcohol was a focus.&nbsp; During the summer of 2000-2001 Timaru and Christchurch further developed the project, taking the water walkers into more events. <BR><BR>The campaign aimed to minimise the harm associated with alcohol consumption at large public outdoor&nbsp;events, for example Kumara Races (West Coast of the South Island), Fish Fest (Timaru) and Blues, Brews & BBQs (Christchurch), by providing free water to people attending those events.&nbsp; <BR><BR>By doing this&nbsp;organisers hoped to reduce the number of intoxicated and dehydrated individuals and promote&nbsp;safe drinking attitudes and practices. &nbsp;<BR><BR>This was achieved by:<UL><LI>prioritising and targeting events which could potentially be harmful - th

The Water Walkers campaign was a regional alcohol team effort with the Timaru, Greymouth and Christchurch offices of Community & Public Health. In 1999-2000 the regional public health provider piloted water walkers at various outdoor events where alcohol was a focus.  During the summer of 2000-2001 Timaru and Christchurch further developed the project, taking the water walkers into more events.

The campaign aimed to minimise the harm associated with alcohol consumption at large public outdoor events, for example Kumara Races (West Coast of the South Island), Fish Fest (Timaru) and Blues, Brews & BBQs (Christchurch), by providing free water to people attending those events. 

By doing this organisers hoped to reduce the number of intoxicated and dehydrated individuals and promote safe drinking attitudes and practices.  

This was achieved by:

• prioritising and targeting events which could potentially be harmful - those in the heat of the day, over a long period of time, where alcohol was supplied or served
• negotiating with event organisers to have a presence at the event
• developing the equipment required for the project (e.g., water packs, hoses, sterilising equipment, uniforms, gazebos)
• arranging media coverage
• setting up a base on the day of the event, promoting drinking in moderation and offering free water
• using the water-walker backpacks to walk around the event delivering free water
• asking public to complete a survey at the end of the day for evaluation purposes

Although the regional alcohol team set up the project, there was collaboration with environmental teams within the Public Health Services and in the case of Christchurch a private company as well.

As a result of the campaign, event managers have acknowledged the benefits of having free water available to the public, and have requested that the team be involved in future events.

In the long term it is hoped free water will always be provided at these events.  It is hoped that the venue operators themselves will take up the responsibility of providing free water.  This happened in 2002, when Canterbury University and Lincoln University provided students with free water during orientation events by way of "water stands" and free water bottles.