An independent crime prevention charity has launched a campaign aimed at helping the police to respond to crime in rural areas.
Crimestoppers, which has been in New Zealand for three years, operates a free phone and online service that allows people to provide information about crimes anonymously, which is then passed on to the police.
It says more than a third of the 1500 calls and messages it receives a month come from rural areas.
Chief executive Jude Mannion says the campaign, which involves distributing stickers with its contact details, is designed to give rural communities more confidence to report crimes.
She says livestock thefts will be among the rural crimes that get attention in the campaign.
"We're aware that there's quite a growing and quite an organised business of livestock theft in New Zealand. There's also theft of farm machinery, all the time that happens.
"We're also going to be following up with road safety and looking at drunk driving on roads in a rural context, or drugged driving on roads in a rural context."
Ms Mannion says as well as the police, rural insurer FMG and New Zealand Post are helping with the sticker campaign, which also has the backing of Federated Farmers and Rural Women New Zealand.
The Crimestoppers free phone number is 0800 555111.
