Hāpai Ake/Local Hosts

Hāpai Ake/Local Hosts are our capable city guardians. Whether you need directions, local advice or feel unsafe, they're there to help guide and support you.

Local Hosts in Wellington City.
Wellington's Local Hosts

Where and when you can see Hāpai Ake/Local Hosts

They're out and about on the streets in the city every day - and during the evenings from Wednesday to Saturday. You'll also see them at major events.

What they do

Hāpai Ake/Local Hosts are there to answer your questions, give local advice or help with something more serious.

They aim to:

  • assist the public and visitors to the city
  • support Police on the street, particularly at night
  • liaise with retailers, bar and restaurant staff
  • keep an eye out for what's going on
  • report safety hazards, graffiti, or issues with city infrastructure.

They're trained in first aid and emergency management procedures.

Hāpai Ake/Local Hosts and The Pōneke Promise

Our Hāpai Ake play a key part in The Pōneke Promise - our joint programme of work that aims to create a central city that is vibrant, inclusive, compassionate and safe. They work closely with our CCTV team and our partners including the Police, to share data and insights with the goal of harm reduction and crime prevention.

Read more about The Pōneke Promise

Collecting data

Hāpai Ake/Local Hosts record information about the incidents and situations they observe and deal with. The information collected may include personal information, including your name and your description.

How this information is used

The information is used to help make evidence-based decisions within Council for the purposes of city safety and urban design.

It is also used to help the Outreach Team, who provide support to people who are homeless or who are on the fringes of homelessness. The sharing of this information is managed by a memorandum of understanding between the agencies that make up the Outreach team which is in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and other relevant legislative obligations.

Your rights

You have a right to access any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. For more information about privacy, see: Dealing with the Council - Privacy Statement

More information

Safe City Team 
Connected Communities
Phone: 04 499 4444