A Far North couple have set up a driving service to help prevent unnecessary deaths on New Zealand roads.
With the spike of young Māori deaths due to drink driving in recent months in the Far North, Daphne Takarangi-Martin and Aston Takarangi started Sober Porous.
“The two fatalities in Pukepoto, they were our relatives,” Daphne told TVNZ1's Te Karere.
“From that the sadness settled in so we set out to find a solution.”
The couple have made it their mission to pick up and drop off members of their community who have had a big night out.
“It’s a koha type basis operation. It makes them feel comfortable without them feeling like, 'I don’t have $30 just to get to a party,'” says Aston.
According to police, in Northland alone this year there have been 23 fatalities on the roads. Eleven of those have been drink driving related.
Sergeant Terry Phillips says the majority of those deaths were Māori.
“I would say we would put it at 90 per cent. So maybe three or four of those, possibly 100 per cent, it’s quite high.”
Phillips says drink driving has become a normality in some parts of Northland. With summer looming, police say they’ll be directing their efforts to this issue.
“We are starting to get our checkpoints in place, putting them actually in front of bars and in places where we know people drink - where people are getting behind the wheel and drink driving.”
Phillips says they’re wanting to put a district impairment team in the Far North, which will link in with local iwi.
For Daphne and Aston, they hope the drinking culture will be changed with initiatives from police and their driving service.
“Don’t drink and drive guys, and give us a holla,” says Aston.
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