A safe place to chill

Wiremu Britton-Rua (left), Moshardannette Ryder, Hinemoa Tipene and Willa McCartney enjoying Kaitaia"s new youth space.

There will always be food on the stove, things to do, help to be given, but most of all Kaitaia's new youth space is a place where young people can relax, feel safe and simply chill.

Te Hiku Hauora applied for Te Puni Kokiri funding in April to open a youth drop-in centre in Kaitaia after health promotion manager Cathy Murray-Cherrington attended a hui at Whangape, called by kaumatua after 11 suspected suicides in the area over the previous 15 years.

Last week Te Hiku Hauora, with community support, opened that drop-in centre at 4B Redan Road.

The centre's youth kaimahi, Hinemoa Tipene (25), said she was excited that Kaitaia now had a place where young people could go.

"It isn't just a place for the youth, it's an opportunity for services to work together and for our community to band together," she said.

Eighteen-year-old Nina Griffiths, an active suicide prevention campaigner, had been calling for a youth space in Kaitaia for some time.

Earlier this year she won a $10,000 AMP scholarship to restart a youth space, as the previous pop-up premises had run out of funding.

She said it was about time Kaitaia had such a facility.

Ms Tipene said the centre would be a place where there was food on the stove and activities would be organised for youth, and where the community and community organisations would be able to share their wisdom.

"They might want to teach them how to play the guitar or to make takakau bread, or any other skills they might want to pass on. Staff/community volunteers will be fully informed of the services in the community which they can link youth to," she said.

The centre has a lounge area/chill zone, a second room that can be made into another relaxing zone, a kitchen, a kitchenette and an office.

The challenge will be keeping the doors open. Ms Tipene said funding so far had been provided by Te Puni Kokiri. Now the community was being invited to show its support.

"We will do as much as we can to make this space permanent, but continued funding is essential to keep the doors open and the centre staffed," she said.