Auckland Council’s new plan to empower children and young people has the seal of approval from Auckland’s Youth Advisory Panel and the council's Policy and Planning Committee.
Members of the Youth Advisory Panel are aged 14 to 24 years and advise on issues that are important to young people across Tāmaki Makaurau. They shared their support for the plan, titled Thriving Rangatahi, at their recent meeting.
Co-chairs of the Youth Advisory Panel, Sanat Singh and Kritika Selach, support the focus on equitable outcomes for Auckland’s rangatahi.
“With the development of this plan, we’re looking forward to more representative, future-focused and equitable decision making for all rangatahi across the region. An emphasis on the wellbeing of future generations only seeks to benefit all Aucklanders now and forever.”
Councillor Shane Henderson, the panel’s liaison officer, says listening to rangatahi helped focus the plan on what mattered to them most.
“Over 400 children and young people from diverse backgrounds helped to develop this plan. We heard about their aspirations for the future and challenges they face growing up in Tāmaki Makaurau. From this, we identified five areas to focus on and ways of working that will help us move in the right direction.
“In the plan, there is a commitment to ensuring rangatahi have a voice in decisions that impact their lives. So, let’s start here, with a plan that captures their voices and reflects what young people in Tāmaki Makaurau have told us is important to them,” he says.
The five focus areas are:
-
Connection and belonging – “We are safe to be ourselves”
-
Health and wellbeing – “We are healthy and well”
-
Access to opportunities – “The world is ours”
-
Civic participation – “We have a voice”
-
Climate and environment – “We are connected to Te Taiao”
The council plans to focus on empowering children and young people through activities in these areas, from civic education programmes to providing more sustainable transport options. It will work with others, including government, iwi and community to achieve the plan.
Alongside working in partnership, the council’s ambition is to target support to children and young people facing the greatest disparities in outcomes. A key finding from the review of I Am Auckland, the council’s previous plan for children and young people, was that targeting council’s support could improve outcomes for all children and young people.
This led to the new approach of nesting the Thriving Rangatahi plan under Ngā Hapori Momoho / Thriving Communities, council’s community wellbeing strategy. This recognises that healthy and thriving children and young people are at the heart of thriving communities.
Thriving Rangatahi was adopted today (10 December 2024) by Auckland Council’s Policy and Planning Committee. It replaces the previous plan, I Am Auckland.
