hayou.org.nz : Hastings Youth Council
Youth Council
The Hastings Youth (Hayou) Council is a vibrant and diverse group of Year 7 – Year 13 students who represent the young people of Hastings and provide them with a voice in Council as well as in their community.
Hastings is a place where young people can be who they want to be. The Youth Council helps make this happen by:
- Having a voice in Council - letting the Council know that young people want to help other young people, and make the Hastings district a safer and cooler place to live.
- Informing the Council of youth issues that are relevant in Hastings, gaps there may be in youth services, and give their opinion on how Council's decisions will affect young people.
- Organising events for Youth Week that showcase local youth talent and celebrate youth culture.
Who can join the Hastings Youth Council?
Anyone who is a Year 7 – Year 13 student, lives in the Hastings district and would like to make our community a better place for youth.
The Youth Council meet every second Monday at 4pm. They discuss youth issues, work on projects and organise events, often have guest speakers from local organisations and attend Council meetings if they want to.
The 2008 Hastings Youth Council members are:
| Aaspreet Boparai (Minute Taker) | St Johns College |
| Abraham Ropitini (Chair) | Lindisfarne College |
| Andy Beacham | Lindisfarne College |
| Angelia Hura | Flaxmere College |
| Annie Riley | Hastings Girls High School |
| Caitlin McLaren | Hastings Intermediate School |
| Caitlyn Bayley | Iona College |
| Chrysler Collier | Mangateretere School |
| Courtney Hook | Hastings Intermediate School |
| Hemi Manaena | St Johns College |
| Katie Freeman-Tayler | Havelock North High School |
| Laura Lincoln (Deputy Chair) | Karamu High School |
| Nathaniel Jones | Hastings Boys High School |
| Rebekah Cherry | Hastings Girls High School |
| Sam Kerins | St Johns College |
| Sarah Pulford | Karamu High School |
| Sonya Clark | Karamu High School |
| Tauawhia Kira | Mangateretere School |
| Tom Aitken | Hereworth School |
Is the Youth Council really heard?
The Hastings District Council wrote a youth policy called Youth Connect in 1998 and made a commitment to helping young people feel a part of Hastings. Around this policy they set up a team of Councillors and staff called the Hastings Youth Team to pool ideas, make decisions and keep the spirit of the Youth Policy growing with the young people it represented.
The team is:
- Councillor Deborah Turner
- Councillor Mandy Kimber
- Councillor Henare O’Keefe
- Councillor Anne Wilson
- Community Development Advisor Rachelle Beale
- Hastings Sports Park Manager Opal Taylor
- Atomic Youth Centre Manager Mark Wilson.
The 2008 Youth Council will also be invited to attend any Council meetings to have their say. While the Youth Councillors won’t be able to vote, their opinions will be heard by the Mayor, the CEO of Council, the Councillors and the staff. This is a great way to get the youth of Hastings’ message across!
How do I get heard?
You don’t have to join the Youth Council to have your say! Instead, you can:
- Email us at hayou@hdc.govt.nz
- Phone Rachelle Beale on 878 0500
- Txt Rachelle on 021 2349 303
- Or come and see Rachelle at the Council, Lyndon Road, Hastings..
Or:
You can go to your school office and find out who your Youth Council representative is and approach them to bring the issue to the next meeting of the Youth Council.
Or:
You can come along to one of the Youth Council Meetings and have your say!