The Hastings Youth Council is a board of rangatahi aged 15-21 who represent the youth of Heretaunga-Hastings. We are a passionate group of young people dedicated to bringing the youth perspective to local Government. The decisions we make aim to benefit not only ourselves, but our classmates, friends, whanau and the future. Beyond our work at Council, we’re always keen for a laugh and never turn down a trip to Rush Munroe’s.

Every five years, Hastings District Council develops a document detailing objectives and goals for the next five years. The plan affects our community in many ways, from playgrounds, parks, roads, libraries, skateparks, etc. As members of the public, we have the opportunity to submit feedback, providing councillors with a community perspective.

In the same way, Hastings Youth Council is putting together our very own long-term plan. Our objective is to outline how we can provide better support to rangatahi within our district - ensuring their voice is heard! This plan is essential so that future Youth Councils can build upon our work, creating momentum for future generations.

Hastings Youth Council works hard to advocate for youth voice at local council. Some of our regular activities include: 

• Bi-monthly, formal and informal meetings, where the goal is to have fun and make progress on our youth programmes/Initiatives. Learning about the political process and how local Government works. 
• Having regular meetings with the Mayor to discuss and advocate for issues affecting youth in our community. 
• Attend and contribute to Council Subcommittees whilst advocating for youth voice. 
• Work on projects throughout the year that will improve outcomes for youth. 
• Delivering our Youth Grants programme to support our rangatahi financially. 
• Run, support, or attend events in the community. 
• Make submissions on council consultations 

Council has a number of committees which help support meeting its purpose and responsibilities under the Local Government Act 2002:

to enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities; and to promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of communities in the present and for the future.

Presently, we are exploring the options and legal pathways to determine whether it may be possible for the Hastings Youth Council to become the first Council in the country to get voting rights on several of our subcommittees. We have included the question in the consultation to see how the community feels about this potential change. We plan to use this feedback to support our case, however we do recognise this is something we may not be able to achieve.

You are the future; we are the future. We will inherit all of the decisions that are made by the generations before us. So, we must do everything we can to ensure that this is a future we can be proud of. That is the work of today and this generation. Many decisions made by Council impact rangatahi in the community. To ensure that these impacts are positive, we must have a voice in local government. We want rangatahi to have the power and passion to move mountains and determine their future.