Alex Le Long

He waka eke noa. We thrive when we work together.

At Ōpōtiki Rangatahi Pā, we believe our tamariki and rangatahi deserve safe spaces where they can belong, connect, learn and thrive. Our kaupapa is grounded in te ao Māori, with manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and the development of safe spaces at the heart of our mahi.

We want our young people to know that they matter, that their voices are valued and that they have a community behind them. We also know that creating those opportunities doesn’t happen through buildings or programmes alone. It happens through people.

Our recent school holiday programme was a beautiful reminder of this.

Watching our tamariki and rangatahi develop tuakana/teina relationships was one of the highlights. Our older young people supported and encouraged their younger buddies, building connections that continued beyond individual activities. When the programme ended, some of our tamariki cried as their rangatahi buddies prepared to leave. Those moments showed us just how meaningful these relationships had become.

Throughout the programme, we explored what safe spaces look and feel like, learned more about Dragon School with Faithe Hanrahan, and deepened our understanding of mauri with Whaea Kerira Steedman. Our Mindful Stabbing felting project offered opportunities for creativity and mindfulness.

We travelled to Auckland to watch Ngā Rangatahi Toa perform, and our young people connected with their rangatahi almost immediately. Back in Ōpōtiki, we returned to Tarawa Creek for another clean-up and planted 59 trees with the support of Jack Revington from Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Our incredible kai manaaki team kept everyone well fed and cared for, demonstrating manaakitanga throughout the programme.

We also shared our Ōpōtiki Horizons Press mahi with Ngā Taiohi o Ngāti Rangatihi in Matatā, with further collaborations involving youth organisations and community services planned for the future.

These experiences reflect what Ōpōtiki Rangatahi Pā is about: bringing people together, sharing knowledge, creating opportunities and recognising the strengths we already have within our community.

We are incredibly grateful for the spaces currently available to us. However, our kaupapa is growing, and we need another space to grow into. We have explored a number of potential buildings, but challenges such as earthquake risks, high rental costs, water damage and unsuitable facilities have made finding the right place difficult.

Through our mahi and the feasibility work we have undertaken, we know a dedicated youth centre is needed in our community. We are working towards fundraising for a suitable building that can support our tamariki and rangatahi for years to come.

But our most important resource isn’t a building. It’s our people.

As a non-profit kaupapa, we thrive on collaboration. We are looking for people who want to contribute what they can, whether that’s sharing a skill, volunteering, donating resources, supporting fundraising, connecting us with potential sponsors or helping us find a suitable property. You might be a tradie, an artist, a gardener, a business owner, a mentor or someone with an idea that could make a difference.

You don’t have to contribute money to contribute something valuable. Your time, knowledge, relationships and willingness to show up can help create opportunities for our young people.

Imagine what we could achieve if we brought all those strengths together.

We want to build more than a youth centre. We want to strengthen the relationships and opportunities that allow our tamariki and rangatahi, our whānau and our whole community to thrive.

He Wāhi Haumaru, A safe space. A place to belong.

If you would like to share your skills, support our fundraising efforts, help us find a building or collaborate with Ōpōtiki Rangatahi Pā, we would love to hear from you.

Let’s build this together, for our tamariki, our rangatahi and the generations to come.