The whole use of PPE in NZ skating, by my observation, comes down to fashion and style.

When vert skating was big everyone wore at least knee pads, and most wore helmets. Now that street is way more popular, I rarely see any PPE.

I don’t wear pads, but if I’m doing more than a flatland cruise or a play at the local skate park I do wear a helmet, particularly when I know I’m going to go faster than 30km/h (19mph).

Generally, New Zealander’s attitude to safety, in particular young males, tends to be quite blase. This is also reflected in road statistics.

The human body is fragile, but great at repairing itself after most injuries. <lecture>It’s much better to not get injured in the first place. PPE will help with that and also when you do get hurt, will most likely reduce the level of injury.</lecture>