Newly appointed Papamoa Neighbourhood Support street co-ordinator Rina Greaves.
Tsunamis and earthquakes are as much a reason to develop a strong neighbourhood support group in Tauranga as preventing and solving crime.
Gillian Connole has been the co-ordinator for 35 houses in Harvey St for five years and said there was a push after the Christchurch Earthquake to get people's names and contact details updated.
The message was: "Get to know your neighbours, you never know when you might need them," she said.
The group encouraged people to be proactive about letting their neighbours know if they were away and offered reassurance that support was close by.
"That's the aim, letting people know that there's someone there, that they don't have to struggle through on their own," she said.
The group also holds an annual barbecue in the street. "It's so easy to organise, odds bring a salad, evens bring a dessert," she said.
Matua neighbourhood support co-ordinator Neil Chinnery-Brown said crime was not a major issue on the peninsula but the group would like to see tsunami safe zones painted on the low-lying roads in Matua and escape routes clearly sign-posted.
Neighbourhood Support New Zealand chief executive Roger Eynon said the organisation had experienced "massive" change in the past 10 years.
"There used to be a sole focus on crime. That is actually as much about the offender as it was the victim. The Christchurch earthquakes shifted the emphasis."
The disaster showed that community was the essence of life in New Zealand and how purposeful it could be if pointed in the right direction, he said.
Connected and cohesive communities could be responsive in a disaster while still having the effect of reducing crime.
"We believe the community itself is capable of deciding its fate," he said.
The national body receives funding from the Ministry of Justice to invest in communities nationwide; however, it receives requests for double the amount of funding available.
Western Bay Neighbourhood Support representative Sergeant Phil Gillbanks said the organisation was strong in the Western Bay, particularly in Papamoa, Katikati and Omokoroa.
"It just gives people that sense of overall security, not just from crime, but within their homes and within their own area."
Groups could include anywhere from two to 30 households and were often led by victims of crime or those wanting to see a change in their neighbourhood.
Mr Gillbanks said groups were established to prevent crime, prepare for natural disasters and help residents understand the strengths and weaknesses of the people around them.
It also resulted in residents feeling a sense of belonging and taking pride in their community.
Support group sparked by party
An out-of-control party turned street brawl was the "straw that broke the camel's back" for newly appointed neighbourhood support street co-ordinator Rina Greaves, pictured.
"It was sort of in our face over the fence," she said.
A group of young people had grown into teenagers and were causing trouble in her quiet Papamoa neighbourhood.
"The need was really evident, a lot of things were happening in the neighbourhood. I'd seen a bit of a shift in the last two or three years," she said.
In late January she contacted Papamoa Neighbourhood Support co-ordinator Lorraine Stevens and asked how she could go about establishing a group in Longstead Ave and Belray Place - a cul-de-sac that comes off it.
Ms Greaves then took to the footpath to canvas her neighbours and received a positive response at the first 10 homes she visited.
"Everybody wanted to tell me their life story, they were all 'yes'. There was a lot of support there," she said.
The group held its first meeting, which Mrs Stevens and Sergeant Phil Gillbanks attended, giving neighbours the opportunity to meet, talk and exchange phone numbers.
"It was just a really good community feeling about knowing each other and also being a lot safer," Ms Greaves said.
Now when she is out and about she recognises and chats to her neighbours and waves to them in the street.
"That's what I really like is going to the supermarket and seeing people who drive past and wave. I'm feeling a lot better."
As well as the added feeling of security, she also now knows to call police at the first sign of trouble brewing.
"Any noise, any tinkling of bottles, just ring them," she said.
She is yet to knock on every door in Longstead Ave collecting names, phone numbers and email addresses but once she has she will give them to Mrs Stevens, who will develop a telephone tree for the group. The group is also considering establishing its own Facebook page and is now receiving regular emails from Papamoa Police.
Since joining neighbourhood support, Ms Greaves has also learned about the importance of recording the serial numbers of electronics in her home.
Neighbourhood Support in the Western Bay
Te Puke: 902 households
Katikati: 1029 households
Tauranga Central: 4839 households
Tauranga South: 2689 households
Papamoa: 4518 households
Mount Maunganui: 2402 households
Omokoroa: 65 street groups (exact number of households under review)