Supporting and investing in the young people of Hastings district is the aim of a new Youth Strategy that sets out the vision and goals of local rangatahi.

Hastings councillors adopted the Ka hao te Rangatahi, Hastings Youth Strategy 2022-2027 at a full council meeting last week, the culmination of months of work on the part of Council officers and Hastings Youth Council members, with the support of some of the council’s elected members.

The strategy replaces an earlier one created in 2012 and sets a pathway to support the aspirations of local young people, aged between 12 and 24 years, and enhance their mana so they feel empowered to reach their full potential.

Youth council chair Lena Ormsby said it was a culmination of work that had been going on for some time, by both the current Youth Council and previous ones.

“We got feedback from hundreds of young people through a survey and workshops that helped us to develop this strategy, and I’m proud that it’s been driven by youth for youth. Genuine thought and effort, and sincere work has gone into it from all the young people involved.”

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said it was fantastic to have the strategy developed and completed, thought to be one of the first co-designed youth strategies in the country.

“This really is the voice of our young people and their aspirations that shine though the document.”

The strategy provides a framework to better engage young people in the future and strengthen Council services and programmes to better meet their needs.

It sets out five main goals and actions to achieve them: To enable young people to have positive connections and pathway opportunities, to have youth-friendly communities, to have a voice and participate in the community, to have diverse youth communities recognised and included, and to have a strong and connected youth sector.

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