Merivale is painted as the South Auckland of Tauranga…and is being discriminated against.That's how the emerging matriarch of Merivale, 29-year-old Jasmine Hayward, sees her 'hood”, her 'patch”.

She's not bitter or resentful, just a proud and staunch advocate of Merivale who wants 'the respect and understanding her community and kids deserve”.

Jasmine Hayward wants a safer road crossing at Fraser Street shops for community's children.

'I have been making some observations and doing some research and I have reached the conclusion that Merivale is missing out simply because it's on the wrong side of the tracks.”

The ‘research' involved Jasmine doing some comparisons with another neighbourhood across town.

'There are the ‘haves' and the ‘have nots' in Tauranga…and Merivale is without doubt the ‘have nots'.”

It's not scientific research, just perceptions. However, Jasmine would like to think they are 'well-founded perceptions”.

It all started with a pedestrian crossing in Fraser Rd outside the Merivale shops, which is used by local primary school kids.

'I watch the crossing from my house and I wince. Trucks hurtle up and down the road and the kids play roulette to get across the crossing. It's dangerous and would not be allowed to happen anywhere else in Tauranga.”

'I understand one person has already been killed. We are waiting for another…and it will happen unless the crossing is fixed and we do something to help ourselves and our kids,” says Jasmine.

Jasmine has a two-year-old son called Ezekial, a biblical name meaning strength of God. She's drawn on him and his name for strength and inspiration.

'My whole life revolves around Ezekial and I don't want him to become another statistic on the Fraser Street crossing. I don't want any of our kids to become another statistic.”

This is where Jasmine's research and claims of inequities kick in.

Jasmine waited outside Merivale shops one typical school day afternoon recently and watched and took photographs.

When school finished one teacher chaperoned a group of children to the crossing, waved the traffic to a stop with her hands and arms and ushered the kids across.

'That was it!” says Jasmine. 'The teacher went back to school and the stragglers had to care for themselves.”

There were no flashing lights – they are broken according to Jasmine – no barriers, no parents.

'Just a whole lot of kids at risk. It was sad. No-one seemed to care.”

The next day Jasmine ramped up her investigation and ventured across town to the school crossing at her old neighbourhood at Otumoetai. The contrast couldn't have been more stark.

This is Jasmine's list for the 'have's”, what she observed at the Otumoetai Primary School crossing.

* Solar powered flashing warning lights.

*Children in hi-viz safety gear manning the barriers.

*Three teachers on duty.

*A bunch of caring and concerned parents to assist.

*A local cop standing watch and his cruiser strategically parked as a further warning to motorists.

'It both saddened and inspired me,” says Jasmine. 'Saddened because it told me Merivale doesn't seem to care for its kids and inspired me because I want to change things.”

The Merivale problem is not being totally ignored. Tauranga City Council's 'long-term vision” is to control the crossing with traffic lights.

'Long term?” protests Jasmine.

'We need the lights now! Okay, council installed a safety cage…a safe place for kids if they get caught in the middle of the road. But that's just band aid stuff. The traffic is still roaring through.”

And Jasmine's research on behalf of Merivale didn't stop there.

At Otumoetai she wandered up and down the street counting the warning signs leading up to the school crossing. They're the 'school zone” signs which reduce the traffic speed to 40kph at both ends of the school day. Jasmine counted nine on one side of the Otumoetai crossing and nine on the other.

By comparison it's a bleak picture back home in Merivale. The speed limit is 50kph, which Jasmine says means 60km/h to most motorists and there are just three signs alerting motorists about the upcoming school crossing.

Again Jasmine says she doesn't begrudge the facilities and services provided the kids at Otumoetai.

'However, we love our kids just as much and I believe they deserve the same respect and safety.”

Jasmine ponders for a moment and adds: 'We have to take some responsibility ourselves”.

'I suspect we are failing our children a bit. Parents and the school need to take charge and teach kids road safety, show them road safety and teach them respect for the traffic. There's no point in having all the bells and whistles at the crossing if the parents and children don't know how to use them properly.”

Jasmine didn't stop with traffic signs…she also counted up the street lights 500-metres either side of the school crossing. There were 47 in Otumoetai and just 19 in Merivale. And three of those were not working.

'[This] Speaks for itself,” says Jasmine.

This newfound champion of Merivale has found herself a champion.

The Labour candidate for Tauranga Dr Rachel Jones says she met Jasmine at a community meeting.

'She impressed me as someone who has relatively recently moved into Merivale and already recognized that she can contribute,” says Rachel.

'I offered Jasmine and the community my support to work on the crossing issue. She has plenty of ideas and is willing to step up. Communities need people like Jasmine who are willing to do more than just talk.”

Merivale has an undeniable and unenviable image in Tauranga. There are the state houses, low-income families, high rates of unemployment, gang affiliation and a crime rate that reflects those demographics.

'That's the downside and easy to target,” insists Jasmine.

'However, we are very family-oriented, we are proud and we are happy to help ourselves if Tauranga can embrace us and give us a hand up”.

Jasmine has started tarting up Merivale's image on a small personal level. She and her family moved into an ex-gang pad, a state house no-one else wanted to live it.

The neighbourhood was delighted to see the gang go and Jasmine arrive.

'I made some curtains and made the place cosy for my family. We are proud and like nice things in Merivale too.”

Now they just want a safe pedestrian crossing for their children… for starters!

The Tauranga City Council insists it is on the case.

Transportation manager Martin Parkes says they're working closely with the school to improve road safety.

They are also looking at upgrading the crossing, like improving the safety cage in the middle of the road.

'But we want to make sure any changes don't exacerbate the situation”.

Roundabouts have reduced speed through the area, but in the long run they are looking at traffic lights.