From Friday, a new presence will be felt in Queenstown after dark as the resort's community guides take to the streets.
Queenstown Lakes District Council curbing alcohol-related violence (Carv) officer Merv Aoake said the four guides - Richard Cottier, Tamah Carson, Dean Swain and Mike Blissett - would generally be on duty from Thursday to Saturday, 11pm to 4am, for a three-month trial.
The community guides were employed by the council and funded through the Ministry of Justice crime prevention unit's Carv programme.
Having the guides on the street was the culmination of 18 months of work by community groups and agencies, including the council and police, Mr Aoake said.
The council advertised in May and Mr Aoake said he was "delighted" with the standard of applicants.
"I know the four people we have selected will do an outstanding job."
The main role of the guides would be to promote safety in the centre of town, reduce alcohol-related crime and give directions and information.
"The initiative is a proactive response to the ongoing issues associated with a resort town at night," Mr Aoake said.
The guides would adopt a friendly and helpful approach but would also act as eyes and ears for the police and other services and agencies.
The team would receive a briefing each night and would have radio contact with emergency services.
They would also be trained in first aid.
"They are all strong communicators and I believe they will have just the right amount of patience and empathy, plus a sense of humour always goes a long way.
"They will be highly visible.
You can't miss them in their high visibility gear and community guide branding.
"They will be very approachable and people should feel really comfortable to ask for help or just say 'hi'," Mr Aoake said.
