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Campaign Safety

Erecting posters and bills in the community

Personal Safety and Security Strategies

  • Avoid /mitigate identified safety hazards.
  • Be visible.
  • Work safely.
  • Practice good hand hygiene/wear face mask.
  • Work with a friend.
  • Have a first aid kit ready.
  • Practice personal security and situational awareness
  • In case of any intimidating, aggressive or abusive behaviour from a person at the street where you are erecting posters, politely excuse yourself and leave the area!

Ask yourself the following:

  • Have you identified and eliminated safety hazards in the immediate vicinity where you intend to work?
  • Are you working safely while erecting posters in the community?
  • Do you make yourself visible from oncoming cars and people traffic?
  • Do you have the right tools and equipment? Are working safely with and around tools and equipment?
  • Do you have the necessary Personal Protection Equipment (gloves, eye and hearing protection, etc.)?
  • Do you “clean as you go”?

Campaigning in the community

Personal Safety and Security Strategies

  • Have a plan to escape to a safe location.
  • Avoid/mitigate identified safety hazards.
  • Campaign with a friend.
  • Practice regular hand hygiene/wear a face mask.
  • Practice personal security and situational awareness.
  • In case of any intimidating, aggressive or abusive behaviour from a person where you are campaigning, politely excuse yourself and leave the area.

Ask yourself the following:

  • Are you constantly checking the environment for health and safety hazards?
  • Are you constantly checking for signs and posters on house doors informing that the occupants are self-isolating due to COVID?
  • Do you need to enter the Constituent’s property? If you going to enter, have you considered your safety and do you have a safe escape route planned, or a support team with you?
  • Are you constantly checking if there are loose dogs at a property that you intend to visit?
  • Is there active construction, erected scaffolding and/or road maintenance in areas or sites where you intend to campaign?
  • Are you currently receiving any intimidating, aggressive or abusive behaviour or language from any person while campaigning in a certain area?
  • Is there a protest on the street/in the area where you are campaigning? Should you remain?
  • Is your transport to the area close enough to retreat to quickly?

Campaigning at a venue

Personal safety and security strategies

  • Always have a plan to escape to a safe location.
  • Regular hand hygiene/wear a face mask.
  • Have a communication plan.
  • Have a security plan about protests and abusive/intimidating persons.
  • Have a safety plan for natural emergencies.
  • Practice personal security and situational awareness

Ask yourself the following:

  • Do you know where the venue’s emergency exits are? Do you know that venue’s emergency assembly points and how to get there safely?
  • Are you and your campaign party regularly sanitizing your hands? Are you observing social distancing?
  • Are the any protesters at the venue? Are you expecting any protests?
  • What would do if there were abusive, threatening, or intimidating persons at the venue?
  • What is your safety plan in response to natural emergencies?

Venue safety and security

Safety and security strategies

  • Have a ready safety plan for emergencies.
  • Clear and accessible emergency exit routes.
  • Set up hand sanitizer/face mask dispensers.
  • Ready first aid kit onsite.
  • Knowledge of the location of nearest Automatic External Defibrillator (AED).
  • Have a clear communication plan with all participants.
  • Have a ready security plan about protests and abusive/intimidating persons.

Ask yourself the following:

  • Have you oriented all participants about the Health and Safety requirements of the site, including the location of the emergency exits? Location of rally points? Do they know how to get there?
  • Are the venue emergency exits free from any obstruction?
  • Do we have the necessary COVID protection measures in place?
  • What is your safety plan pertaining to response to medical emergencies?
  • Do you have a Safety and Security Plan for this event?
  • Are you expecting any protests at this event?
  • How will you be dealing with any protesters and any potential increase to aggression from them? Have you communicated this plan to the participants?
  • Have you considered having uniformed security personnel present at the venue?
  • Have you considered liaising with the Police about managing abusive persons and angry protesters?
  • What would you do if there are abusive, threatening, or intimidating persons at the venue?
  • What is your safety plan in response to natural emergencies? Have you communicated this to the participants and the people attending?

Road and transport safety

Personal Safety and Security Strategies

  • Drive to the existing road and weather conditions.
  • Park in a well-lit and secured car parking facility.
  • Safekeeping valuables inside the boot of your car instead of in plain sight inside your vehicle.
  • Campaign with a friend.
  • Have emergency supplies, medicines and a first aid kit in your vehicle.
  • Have a keep-in-touch plan. Inform your family what time you’re expected to be back home.
  • Always have a plan to leave
  • Have your mobile phone with you.
  • Practice personal security and situational awareness.

Ask yourself the following:

  • Is your vehicle roadworthy?
  • Have you planned your route in advance?
  • Have you checked the weather and road conditions?
  • Have you checked if there are any road closures or construction along your chosen route?
  • Are you constantly scanning the road for hazards while you're on the road?
  • Are you planning to be on the road until night-time hours?
  • Are you actively scanning the area for suspicious activity or persons when heading towards your car?

Social media safety

General Safety and Security Strategies

  • Sanitizing your social media profile.
  • Practicing self-regulation when posting and commenting in social media.
  • Saving threatening posts for evidence.
  • Varying your travel routes and daily routines so it is difficult to anticipate your location based on what you are putting online
  • Informing the Police if you are receiving threatening comments in social media.

Ask yourself the following:

  • Are you posting and commenting on social media that is making your time and place predictable?
  • Are you receiving threatening, abusive and intimidating comments in your personal social media profile?
  • Have you reported these to the Platform provider? Facebook, Instagram etc
  • Have you reported these to Police? On 105 if not immediately life threatening, or 111 if they are?

Threatening phone calls, emails and letters

Personal Safety and Security Strategies

  • Varying your travel routes and daily routines.
  • Consider blocking or forwarding calls from unknown phone numbers to voicemail. This helps you record threatening messages.
  • Informing the Police of such threatening phone calls, letters and emails.
  • Saving a copy of threatening emails and letters for evidence.
  • Practice personal security and situational awareness.

Ask yourself the following:

  • Are you presently receiving threatening phone calls, emails and letters pertaining to your election campaign?
  • Have you reported these to your Telecommunication provider? New Zealand’s telecommunication companies have agreements in place to work together to help stop mobile harassment.
  • Have you reported these to Police? On 105 if not immediately life threatening, or 111 if they are?
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