Hurunui Youth holiday lineup attracts 63 young people

When rural teenagers across the Hurunui were asked how they wanted to spend their April school holidays, they were clear in their feedback: Go Karting, ice skating and hitting the malls.

As students headed back to school this week, 63 young people from Hanmer to Mt Lyford to Amberley could tick off their holiday aspirations thanks to a packed itinerary delivered by the Hurunui Youth Programme through funding from the Rātā Foundation.

Hurunui District Council Youth Development Officer Jo Sherwood credited the holiday programme’s success to activities being directly shaped by Hurunui’s young people.

“As part of our October holiday evaluations, several of our young people asked us for the opportunity to Go Kart in Christchurch. Our young people agree that Hurunui is a great place to live, however, lack of transport can be a barrier to accessing recreational facilities young people in urban areas take for granted. We want to ensure our young people don’t miss out during the holidays,” said Sherwood.

Sherwood said the holidays also included development training to help young people pass their Learner Driver theory test. “Learner Driver support and First Aid training came up strongly through direct youth feedback.”

Future plans would include a mix of out-of-district and local events, Sherwood said. “Lots of connections were made these holidays across the district, and we want to build on this with more local activities to connect and have fun, as well as to provide more skills development.”

Young people can follow @hurunuiyouth on social media to keep informed on upcoming activities, including Youth Week and Nui Hui Youth Mental Health activities in May.