The wheels may come off an after-school programme credited with slashing petty crime in Kaikohe and keeping youth off the streets because of a government funding cut.
Every Friday, up to 50 young people turn out for a drop-in session alternating between the Memorial Hall and the skate park, run by
health provider Te Hau Ora o Kaikohe.
The 4pm-7pm Kaikohe Jam is led by world unicycling champion Christian Huriwai, who teaches the kids tricks on unicycles, skateboards and scooters. It is followed by a two-hour hip-hop dance session.
The Kaikohe Jam is funded under the Government's Heha (Healthy Eating, Healthy Action) programme, and has previously featured in the Advocate for its success in keeping bored kids off the street and out of trouble.
However, now it's the Kaikohe Jam itself that's in trouble.
The Government has scrapped funding for the Heha programme, with the money now going to the new Whanau Ora scheme instead.
Te Hau Ora o Kaikohe spokesman Fred Sadler told Radio New Zealand that the youth programme and various nutrition projects were run with a $100,000 grant from the Heha fund.
In the 16 months the programme had been running, vandalism and petty crime had dropped dramatically in Kaikohe, he said.
Mr Sadler said Te Hau Ora o Kaikohe would try to keep the youth programme going, but was looking for other funding avenues.
Other Te Hau Ora projects supported by the Heha fund include the Marae Master Chef contest, which encourages marae to adopt healthy menus and has also featured in this newspaper.
Christian Huriwai, 19, of Otaua, won the world street unicycling title in Wellington in January 2010.
He is currently competing at the North American championships.
