The three Wairarapa Councils are working together to review the district’s Rangatahi (Youth) Strategy to support youth voices in local government. This review will be expanded to include South Wairarapa.

We want rangatahi (12-24 year olds) to be at the heart of this process and have been visiting schools to get feedback.

One such visit recently was to Kuranui College where we shared information about what we do at council, gather views on what it’s like to be a young person living in the Wairarapa, and identify what will help grow a great region where young people thrive.

For young people, living in the Wairarapa can be great but it can also have some barriers. There can be difficulties such as lack of public transport, trouble finding work or limited mental health services.

Feedback on how to make the Wairarapa a great place for young people is being sought until the end of September. This will then go through to a Rangatahi Strategy focus group that is still being formed.

If you are between the ages of 12 and 24 and would like to be part of the focus group, or you have ideas you want to submit, head to https://mstn.govt.nz/rangatahi-youth-strategy/

You can nominate yourself or someone else to join the focus group. If you are under 18, you will need your parent’s or guardians’ permission.

The Rangatahi Focus Group will assist and advise the three councils to come up with a strategy that will:

• identify key barriers and issues for youth in our region
• connect with decision-makers to make sure they know the youth perspective and how best to work alongside youth
• help the three Wairarapa District Councils prioritise what they should do for youth.