Learn about local groups, the Pegasus Youth Space, and career opportunities at our pools.
Breakfasts Serve Up Food for Thought for Emerging Leaders
Celebrating the great things young people are doing in the Waimakariri District was the ethos behind youth leadership breakfasts recently held in the district.
Ruby Wilson, co-chair of the Waimakariri Youth Council organised the breakfasts to recognise up and coming young leaders in the district.
“I wanted to do something to acknowledge those young people that might not be for example, head boy or head girl but are still emerging as great leaders and quietly going about achieving great things."
"Leadership comes in all different shapes and styles, and I wanted to do something to show these young people that they are seen and that we are grateful for what they do and what they have achieved.”
The breakfasts, held at Fools of Desire in Rangiora, involved 24 young people and two guest panels.
The theme of the first breakfast was leading with your values and Ruby said it was really well received.
“It focused on the reality of holding onto your values when faced with all the challenges of leadership."
“We had an excellent panel of speakers which included Tessa Sturley, the Waimakariri District Council Community Team leader, Keta Ferrari from Ray White Rangiora, Andrew Ellis from High Performance Sport New Zealand and Peter Worsp from Terra Viva Home and Garden and this was MC’d by Mayor Dan Gordon.”
The second breakfast focused on what leadership is and what it means to lead.
Ruby said this was also an interesting and interactive breakfast.
“We had another great panel which was once again led by Mayor Dan and included Emily Belton, Waimakariri District Council Youth Development Facilitator, Whaea Renee from Noaia, Scotty Herbert from the Swannanaoa Volunteer Fire Brigade and Brian Price, principal of Te Koromiko Swannanoa School.”
Ruby said she had great feedback from all the young people that attended, and she would love to hold more breakfasts in the future.
“It was great to be able to recognise young people from a good cross section of the district. We had representation from all the high schools and a number of organisations as well.”
Mayor Dan Gordon said he was incredibly impressed by the questions being asked by the young people.
“They were intelligent and deeply thought-provoking questions, and they resulted in great discussions. I know that the other panellists enjoyed it just as much as I did.
“I’m always so impressed when I attend events like this with young people in our district. I’d also like to acknowledge all of the hard work done by Ruby to organise and run these breakfasts. I certainly look forward to being able to attend more in the future.”
Explore Waimakariri Youth Groups
Meet our Staff
Ruby Wilson - Co-Chair Waimakariri Youth Council
Tell us a bit about what you do?
I am grateful to be in a position as Co-Chair of the Waimakariri Youth Council (WYC), alongside 14 other wonderful young people. In this role, I have the opportunity to chair meetings, organise or add to agendas, represent WYC at events, support members and action ideas. The Youth Council advocate for and champion youth voice on issues within Waimakariri, as well as at a regional and national level. We represent youth voice on a number of committees, working groups and reference groups.
How long have you been involved in Youth Council?
I joined WaiYouth in 2019 and then joined the Waimakariri Youth Council in 2020. I have been Co-Chair since 2021 and am currently working alongside our other Co-Chair Zack Lappin.
How did you get into your role?
I joined WaiYouth after I heard about the events they put on, because I wanted to make a difference for young people in the Waimakariri District. I really enjoyed hearing what young people wanted and then being able to make that happen. I later joined the Waimakariri Youth Council because I wanted to help young people have a voice at the decision-making level.
What things do you like the most about what you do?
I love being able to work alongside other amazing young people to ensure Waimakariri youth have their voice heard, especially when decisions are being made that may affect them now or in the future. I really enjoy being in the Co-Chair role, as I have the opportunity to empower others. I also really appreciate the support WYC get from our Council. I have attended events alongside Youth Councils from around New Zealand, and have found that we have an amazing and unique opportunity to sit alongside two of our councillors, Cr Niki Mealings and Cr Jason Goldsworthy and Mayor Dan Gordon, supported by Youth Development Facilitator Emily Belton.
Do you have a cool story you want to share?
I enjoyed the moment where I got to see WYC share the voice of Waimakariri youth directly to those who can make a difference. The recent Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan consultation held a youth hearing day, where WYC was able to present the findings and voice of Waimakariri young people. We were able to share how public transport is an important issue for Waimakariri young people. Our Co-Chair, Zack, was able to tell a story about how long it had taken him to bus from Rangiora to the event, the length of which surprised the panel. It was really great to see that WYC made a direct and noticeable impact with our presentation, as well as having the opportunity to take part in a formal hearing process.
Championing Youth Voices in the Waimakariri District
Two fantastic groups looking out for the interests of young people in the Waimakariri District are WaiYouth and the Waimakakriri Youth Council.
However, the two groups have quite different functions.
WaiYouth is all about young people taking action on things young people care about. Events, volunteering and giving young people a voice in our local community.
It is a group which meets together every two weeks to discuss ideas and plan events for the district while also developing their own leadership, organisational and personal skills.
For more information check out the WaiYouth Social Media:
Waimakariri Youth Council Co-Chair Ruby Wilson says she quite often gets asked what the difference is between the two groups.
“Basically, WaiYouth run events and workshops in our district for young people. For example things like cooking classes, quiz nights and movie nights and other youth focused events.
“Youth Council advocates for young people in the Waimakariri District on issues that affect young people locally and on a national level. It’s a platform for the youth voice.”
Youth Council provides a mechanism whereby the needs and aspirations of young people can be bought to the attention of the Council and community and be translated into action.
Youth Council meets every month on the last Tuesday of the month. Terms of Reference here.
Their purpose is:
- To Identify and communicate to the District Council the interests and preferences of Waimakariri young people in relation to;
- the content of strategies, policies, plans, and bylaws of the District Council,
- the processes and mechanisms for engagement with young people in the District,
- the consideration of regional issues raised by local young people,
- consultation with young people and the community,
- advocating and advancing the Waimakariri Youth Strategy,
- any matter that the Youth Council considers to be of particular interest or concern to Waimakariri young people.
For more information on the Youth Council check out its Facebook page.
Meet our Staff
Emily - Youth Development Facilitator
Tell us a bit about what you do?
Working with local agencies and organisations to support their programmes and opportunities to ensure that young people thrive. My key projects are Waimakariri Youth Council and WaiYouth (Youth Leadership and Youth Voice), North Canterbury Youth Services Network (Training and connection opportunities for local youth organisations), North Canterbury Youth Futures (Employment, Education and Training opportunities, e.g. NCYF Careers Expo), and supporting other Units of Council with Youth related activities and programmes.
How long have you worked at Waimakariri District Council?
I started with Council in August 2021
How did you get into your job?
I was previously the Youth and Development Coordinator for Bowls Canterbury, I taught young people how to play Lawn Bowls and from there grew a passion for ensuring that young people have access to opportunities. So when this role came up, I jumped at the opportunity to take a strategic approach to how to create and support those opportunities.
What things do you like the most about your job?
I love all aspects of my job! I get to support those who work with young people on a day-to-day basis, our Youth Council and WaiYouth to help deliver their projects and initiatives and I get to be involved in a working group that supports the employment, education, and training opportunities for young people in North Canterbury (North Canterbury Youth Futures).
Do you have a cool story you want to share?
Just something from my personal life, outside of my work with Waimakariri District Council I am also a High Performance Coach with Bowls NZ. I work with nine athletes from across Aoteroa and Australia to support their goals and dreams of one day wearing the Silver Fern. In the past year, I have attended three international events including Multi-Nations, World Bowls Championships, and a Trans-Tasman. At the World Championships the Women's team won the Taylor Trophy, the first time in fifty years! It was amazing to see all the time and effort that the athletes put into training and preparation to make them so successful in past 12 months.
Pegasus Youth Space
As the Pegasus community continues to grow, there’s also a growing need for a space where our young people can connect and socialise. In April, Council engaged with young people in Pegasus to find out where they like to hang out and what they enjoy doing, all the purpose of co-designing a Pegasus Youth Space.
Staff ran workshops with the Year 8 class at Woodend Primary School and with the Year 7 and 8 classes at Pegasus Bay Primary School, as well as attended Kaiapoi High School. All up we engaged with 140 Pegasus locals under the age of 18!
These young people told us that the most popular hang out spots in Pegasus are local parks and playgrounds, the beach and the dairy. Most told us that they felt there’s not much to do in Pegasus, but they enjoy spending time with friends, playing sports, surfing, skating and shopping.
They told us they want a Youth Space that is fun, energetic, playful, safe, calm, clean and tidy.
Based on this feedback, we are working to review the current youth-friendly sites in Pegasus and identify potential opportunities for activities and appropriate locations. This may lead to several different smaller youth-friendly activities as opposed to one large, dedicated space.
Some ideas will be presented to the Woodend Sefton Community Board later in the year before we ask the wider community for their thoughts and feedback.
Stay tuned!
MTFJ Supports Young Mum to Get on the Tools
A young mum is building the foundations of a career in construction thanks to the willingness of a local employer and the support from the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs programme.
Sarah Lubbe, 17, never really liked school and was eager to get into the workforce early.
“School wasn’t my thing,” she said. “It was the classroom for me, really. I just hated being inside.”
Before shifting to Rangiora from Tauranga last year, Sarah had been working on a dairy farm, which she enjoyed. But after becoming a mother, the hours didn’t align with daycare, so she was forced to look for something else.
That’s when Sarah was referred to the Waimakariri District Council’s Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ), a national programme supporting young people into work placements.
MTFJ Waimakariri Facilitator Elizabeth Trevathan was able to support Sarah with her CV, a tool kit, work boots and warm work clothing, as well as helping her to get her full driver’s licence.
Elizabeth said Sarah was really determined to be working and was not put off by physical work and cold mornings. She put Sarah forward for a job with Peter Pearcy, a local builder who was looking for a labourer to help him box and prepare floor slabs for residential housing.
“Peter was looking for someone with a good attitude that would work hard and get the job done. You can teach skills but it’s much harder to teach attitude or motivation. I was confident that Sarah would impress if she got a chance to show what she could do.”
After quickly proving herself during some work experience days in April, Peter offered her a full-time job. The hours have allowed her to drop her son off at daycare before work starts at 8am and pick him up again 5pm. Sarah says she just loves being on the tools and has learnt so many new skills in a short space of time.
“It’s insane – I can nearly do a whole floor slab by myself!”
Peter said he was happy to give Sarah a shot and is now keen to support her with her building apprenticeship.
“She’s got a very good attitude,” he said. “I think young people like Sarah just need a chance nowadays. I was given a chance and I just like to give other people a chance.”
Sarah is one of 46 young people in the District who, in the last 12 months, have been placed into either permanent full time, casual, seasonal or part-time roles as part of the MTFJ programme.
Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said he’s really proud to see the results of the programme since the Council joined it at the start of 2023.
“It’s really good to see it in action and see how it’s working and providing a new opportunity for Sarah, and hopefully it’s something that she’ll be able to further either with Peter or another builder in time.”
“The programme provides a really good opportunity for young people to be matched to learn a skill and a trade.
“It’s great for our local employers. I’m really proud of the programme we’ve got here and the work that Elizabeth is doing with the programme and the number of placements there’s been. It’s clear that there’s a real demand and need for it.”
MTFJ Community Employment Programme is a nationwide partnership between Local Government New Zealand and the Ministry of Social Development that has a strong focus on getting young people into sustainable employment.
The Council is always looking out for employment or work experience opportunities for young people, and more information can be found on the Council website.
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