Community advocates say Christchurch must act to make the city safer, as Canterbury still holds the unwanted title of New Zealand’s violence capital.

Local family violence support service, Aviva, has an inbox full of referrals after every weekend, relating to people being harmed while out in town.

“We want people to be out and about, having a great time at all the various hospitality venues - but it’s not always the case,” said Client Services Manager for Sexual Violence Services Jo Bader.

Karen Hattaway has owned and operated restaurants and bars for more than 30 years, including Pacific-Asian Christchurch restaurant, Manu.

But her drive for safety runs deeper than industry.

“Before I was a restaurateur, I was a child shaped in trauma. I understand what it feels like when systems fail to protect you, and I understand the long shadow that sexual violence and silence can cast over a life,” said Hattaway.

She is one of a growing group of advocates calling on City Council and the hospitality sector to step up safety measures.

“If a woman cannot trust that she is safe in a licensed venue, then we’ve failed her as an industry,” added Hattaway.

Wellington City Council has its Safer Venues Project – launched in 2021 as a joint initiative between Hospitality NZ, RespectEd Aotearoa and Wellington City Council – focused specifically on preventing sexual harm and violence in licensed venues at night.

Christchurch has no equivalent.

Bader said the council needs to be more involved in finding a solution.

“It’s not just one person’s job to solve or take responsibility for. But City Council is no different - it has a role to play.”

Christchurch City Council said it’s structured differently to Wellington - so can’t be compared.

But Bader disagrees.

“City make-ups are different across the country but at its core, they’re still filled with people who both experience harm and use harm. So the council should not be left out of those conversations.”

“When I think about Wellington’s Safer Venues or the Take 10 initiative and those things their council has backed – I think, we have a hospitality corridor too,“ said Bader.

“They’re focused on Courtney Place but we’ve got The Strip.”

“The council can absolutely take the lead on some of these things.”

Bader believes a practical starting point is providing safe anchor points along the city’s hospitality corridor where people can go when they feel unsafe.

“Places for people to charge their phone, have a coffee, have some water, order an Uber – just little oasis points for somewhere to go.”

At Manu, Hattaway has already started building the model she wants the industry to adopt.

The restaurant has introduced drink protectors – reusable, waterproof covers that stretch securely over the top of a glass, with a small opening for a straw, creating a physical barrier against drink spiking.

“They normalise protection rather than shame vulnerability,” said Hattaway.

“But drink protectors alone are not the solution, they’re part of a broader ecosystem.”

Hattaway’s also set up a standardised sexual assault awareness toolkit, 15-minute online micro-training modules for their staff, discreet bathroom signage explaining support pathways, a code system in toilets so guests can signal if they need help and a clear escalation protocol so staff know what to do when someone does.

Hattaway’s now calling for a similar roll out across all of Christchurch’s licensed venues.

“Christchurch is known for its innovation and resilience, but imagine it being recognised as the safest city in New Zealand for a night out.”

“Imagine survivors feeling believed, protected and supported before harm escalated,” said Hattaway.

She explained this is a part of Christchurch’s evolution.

“When cities and populations start growing, we start seeing more harm,” said Hattaway, “but hospitality is in festivals, the central city, rugby matches, corporate functions, clubs - so it seems the obvious place to start to make things safer.”

Bader explained that “amongst all the fantastic stuff going on in Christchurch, we don’t want to be so kind of

Pollyanna that we lose sight of the fact that there’s actually a bit of an underbelly”.

“If we can expose that and address it, then we’re being far more honest about what it means to live and move about our city.”

Rosie Leishman is a Christchurch-based reporter and multimedia journalist at Newstalk ZB.