A night out with the volunteers keeping Wellington’s party animals safe

Amid the chaos that can be Wellington’s nightlife, along Courtenay Place there’s a quiet space of calm complete with a fake lawn, bean bags and board games, phone chargers galore and copious cups of water and lollies.

It’s a Friday night, and I’m with a Take10 team who provide a community support zone for those out on the town with support from the Vulnerable Support Charity Trust​.

Without the false comfort of an “alcohol blanket”, I’m layered up in my beanie and a borrowed Take10 jacket.

It’s 10pm and the drinks have been flowing. The early crowd are headed home, stumbling only slightly as they pack into cabs and the next wave has arrived in outfits which leave me grateful for the hoodie.

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The mood is convivial and fun as I watch Leigh Keown​, the trust’s operations manager, and her team of volunteers – tonight it’s 26-year-old Christina Thompson​ and social worker Clifton Raukawa​ – fill dozens of paper cups with water and set up the mobile van.

The students haven’t arrived yet but Keown says, “It’s looking quite busy. It feels busy.”

Step one starts with calling the city’s CCTV team to check for any updates and see if there’s anyone to keep an eye out for.

The area around Courtenay Pl is considered a “hot spot” for alcohol-related harm that materialises in the form of disorder events, damage to property or people being hurt.

Anywhere between one and 2000 people will stop to chat as they pass the van, stop to charge their phones, play some board games or grab a water and a lolly or two, Keown says. Most are aged 18-25.

“Most nights it’s a lot of connection – lots of waters and lollies. Everyone can do with more water.”

That’s why Take10 was started. Keown says the trust felt there was a need for a community support zone for youth who are out at night.

“There’s nothing like this and there’s a lot of drunk people who don’t get into bars with nowhere to go,” she says.

“Most people are happy and just want a water. Later on it becomes a bit messy.

“Probably once a night we’ll clean up a wound or an injury. We’ll hand out a couple of vomit bags most nights.”

Emergency services are called for more serious matters.

Generally the response is positive with many people gladly accepting waters or politely declining but thanking us nonetheless.

“A lot of older people think it’s a great idea, they say ’we didn’t have this in our day’. A lot of out-of-towners say the same.”

Part of the challenge in running the service is safety, finding volunteers for the hours, funding and knowledge about it, Keown says.

Those handing out waters until the wee hours are all volunteers save for the security guard keeping a watchful eye on the set-up.

They have about 20 volunteers on the books but only 10 regulars and are always looking for more.

Thompson has been volunteering with Take10 for the past two years. She started wanting to give back to the community and to work on her social skills.

“In the beginning you get more noes than yeses,” she tells me as we hand out waters.

It’s 11pm, and I’m starting to see some of the more inebriated people from the first wave. More still promise they will see us later in the night.

I chat with Raukawa. During the day he’s a social worker so has a good rapport with many of the city’s homeless who pass us by.

He’s doing a double shift this weekend, working both tonight and on the Saturday. He says it passes quickly and is fun, but you get a bit tired and sore feet towards the end of the night.

“I love doing it.”

Saturdays tend to be busier than Friday nights, he says. “We help at least three people on a Friday night, five people every Saturday night.”

So far, so good. Before we know it, it’s just after midnight and town is increasingly busy as people move between bars.

Our security guard, who asks not to be named, has been working the town scene since the 1990s and is a big supporter of the kaupapa.

He says the town is quieter these days, but only because it’s more expensive. “This is a Tuesday night in 2010,” he tells me.

Despite this the danger is ever-present, and I’m beginning to realise just how much I was blind to during my own town experiences. Further up Courtenay Pl, nearer Kent Tce, he tells me he’d be wearing a stab-proof vest.

Despite the dangers, or because of them, he loves being involved with the trust and being able to intervene when he spots something unfolding.

With a daughter of his own, he says he used to feel helpless watching many of the younger women out on their own but as a bigger male wasn’t comfortable approaching them on his own to help.

A few weeks ago he helped to intervene when a group of guys began hassling a young woman on her own and trying to get her into a car. He got her back to the Take10 team and they helped her find a way home.

“This is awesome. I really love it.”

It’s after 1am and mostly all I’ve done is hand out water and make conversation with people in various states of inebriation. It’s been surprisingly fun.

I’ve seen about a dozen cops patrolling the street a few times, helping provide a reassuring presence.

Wellington Free Ambulance has also been deployed with police on Friday and Saturday nights as part of a 12-month trial through the city council’s Pōneke Promise, which aims to make the capital more safe.

Inspector Dean Silvester says the care provided has helped “de-escalates volatile situations” and is making a noticeable difference.

Most people I’ve encountered have been a bit drunk but fairly harmless and in groups with friends.

We’ve sent one intoxicated man home in a car with some mates, but I’m reminded of the dangers as we load a near-unconcious young woman on her own into a taxi.

Overall I’m left feeling grateful for the people who help facilitate a great night in town – the cops, food vendors, dairy owners, drivers, bouncers, paramedics and volunteers.

Take10 is out every Friday and Saturday night from 10pm until about 3am at the Taranaki St intersection next to Lucky Chicken, because when water’s not enough, there’s always fried chicken.

You can find out more about Take10, including how to volunteer, here.

*Stuff reporter Gianina Schwanecke headed out with the team on February 10

Ten tips for keeping safe in town:

• Keep hydrated with water
• Make sure to grab a proper feed before heading out
• Never leave your drink unattended or accept ones from strangers
• Look out for your friends and stay together
• Have a meet-up point for if you get separated
• Make sure your phone is fully charged at the start of the night
• Have cash, eftpos or a phone app to pay for transport home or arrange a trusted sober drive to pick you up
• Challenge any inappropriate comments or actions from anyone and report them to bar staff, or police if necessary
• Call 111 in an emergency if something is happening right now, illegal or suspicious
• Look out for the Take10 team