Tararua youth service mahi during Covid recognised

Volunteer Manaia Maru holds the Covid-19 Response Recognition Award and Medal sent from Chris Hipkins.

When Tararua Community Youth Services came up with ways to help local youth during Covid lockdown, they never thought it would result in an award from the prime minister.

So they were surprised and excited to receive a Covid-19 Response Recognition Award last month from Chris Hipkins.

Jeanne O’Brien says it was nice to be acknowledged for all the mahi that was undertaken during the lockdowns.

She says with some services closing for the duration of the lockdowns, the teams in both Dannevirke and Pahiatua cranked up a gear to ensure the young people of the Tararua District weren’t feeling so isolated.

They created activities, competitions, delivery of kai and hygiene essentials and ran house party forums so they could stay connected to all the rangatahi in their communities.

Covid-19 activity packs and “Bored Books” were distributed to taiohi/rangatahi.

Volunteers delivered the packs along with phone top-ups, stationery, learning resources and devices to undertake school work.

Jeanne says young people were first and foremost in their thoughts over this time and their needs were identified and responded to.

“We enabled young people to continue to be motivated, supported and had the resources to learn and connect.”

Since then, the youth service has continued to support youth in holiday programmes and other functions, including holding a basketball night at the Dannevirke stadium last month as part of New Zealand Youth Work.

Janna Mihaere supervises these young basketballers.

Working with the two iwi, they organised a combined event for youth in Dannevirke and since most youths are keen on basketball the venue was booked from 5pm to midnight, with anyone invited to come along.

Bigger players compete in a fun competition.

The kids take turns from the free throw line.

The evening started with a fun competition of five teams and after a round-robin the teams retired to the supper room for kai.

After 7pm the basketball resumed in a non-organised manner allowing kids to have fun and get on with each other, promoting the principles of Youth Week, a global movement which has been run in New Zealand by Ara Taiohi since 2010.