IDC today announced Auckland's Safeswim program as the winner of the Smart Water Category, in the Smart Cities Asia Pacific Awards. Auckland Council beat out competition from South Korea, Australia and Hong Kong to take the top honours in its category.
From February to November 2017, we worked in partnership with Surf Life Saving Northern Region and the Auckland Regional Public Health Service to upgrade the Safeswim program, to better provide accurate information about swimming conditions in the region.
IDC Market Analyst Jefferson King says, "What stood out about the Safeswim project was the high level of collaboration between the different organisations and the increased accuracy it delivers. The positive outcomes of the project itself are clear, helping locals make better informed decisions regarding swimming safety."
About the awards
The Smart City Asia Pacific Awards (SCAPA) were created to identify, benchmark and publicly vote on the best projects each year across 12 functional smart city strategic domains. It is an intensive six-month process that tracks and evaluates hundreds of smart city initiatives in the Asia Pacific region.
All finalists compete via IDC benchmarking, public voting, and judging from an international advisory council. In 2018, 50% of the weighting came from IDC benchmarking, public votes accounted for 25%, while the remaining 25% was based on assessment by the international advisory council.
More about Safeswim
Safeswim is changing the way we think about our water – for the better. We’re working hard to improve water quality in our region, and we need your help.
How to help improve water quality:
- ensure septic tanks are maintained and checked by a professional
- never flush wet wipes down the toilet
- dispose of paint and chemicals properly – make sure they don’t get into waterways or drains
- call 09 377 3107 to report hazardous spills
- determine if your private property has leaking pipes or cross connections by hiring a plumber. The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board is a useful place to find a contractor
- if you have a stream on your property, check our ‘Caring for Urban Streams’ guide.
Visit the Safeswim website to check water quality at beaches around Auckland.
