About 'Have a hmmm'

Why have a hmmm

When someone gets injured it doesn’t just affect them. Injuries cause a huge range of flow on effects for the injured person’s family, friends, workmates, team-mates and the wider community.

The simple act of taking a few seconds to think about injury related risks before getting stuck in could help to prevent millions of injuries in New Zealand and the harm these injuries create.

The campaign

Launched in April 2021, ‘Have a hmmm’ makes a unique contribution to ACC’s injury prevention efforts. It aims to equip New Zealanders with a practice they can apply to all aspects of their lives.

By thinking about the injury related risks that could arise in a given context, then figuring out the best way to avoid injury New Zealanders can stay injury free, get the job done and keep doing the things they love.

‘Have a hmmm’ helps Ne Zealanders to identify the things they can do themselves to avoid injury and it also directs people to a wide range of injury prevention programmes that focus on specific injury contexts, like Rugby Smart and Ride Forever for motorcycle skills.

Through a range of industry awards ‘Have a hmmm’ has been recognised as a robust behaviour change programme. More importantly, independent research is showing that New Zealanders are increasingly recognising the value of preventing injuries and are taking steps to be injury free.

The majority of the injuries and the harm they cause is preventable. Turn hindsight into foresight by having a ‘hmmm’ 

Our approach

We're asking people to take a pause or 'have a hmmm' and consider how an injury might impact those they care about. This came from significant customer research that informed all stages of the development of this project. We've learnt a lot about how the people of Aotearoa think about risk and injury, and what might get them to think and act differently.

We tested a range of creative approaches and 'have a hmmm' performed the best and showed a remarkable ability to be remembered and actioned.

Our starting hypothesis was that the people of Aotearoa had a widespread 'she'll be right' culture. This inhibited proactive safety thinking and action-taking.

We talked to New Zealanders from a range of ages, life stages, ethnicities and locations. We found these views exist, but they're not as prevalent as we thought. We explored attitudes and beliefs around injuries, and what motivates or inhibits conscious and sub-conscious risk behaviours.

However, regardless of attitude to risk, our research found one powerful and consistent moderator of behaviour – the impact of injury on others.

If we have responsibility for others, or are taking actions that involve others, such as members of our whānau, our behaviour changes. Even if others are not present or not hurt, people acknowledge that their injury affects others too.