Growing Confidence, Connection and Adventure: The Y Hawke's Bay Community Impact 2025
At The Y Hawke's Bay, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to belong, grow, and thrive. Throughout 2025, we continued to strengthen our impact across the region, creating opportunities for tamariki and rangatahi to build confidence, develop new skills, and connect with their communities.
Youth Development at the Heart of What We Do
Our youth development programmes remained at the centre of our work this year, providing safe, inclusive, and youth-led spaces where young people could explore their interests, build meaningful friendships, and develop a strong sense of self.
One of the highlights of 2025 was our ongoing partnership with Sport Hawke's Bay. Together, we created opportunities for rangatahi to participate in a wide range of sporting and active recreation experiences. From trying a sport for the first time to discovering new passions, these activities helped young people build physical literacy, confidence, and motivation while experiencing the benefits of being active.
Importantly, many of these opportunities removed financial and social barriers that can prevent young people from participating. For many rangatahi, these experiences represented their first opportunity to engage in organised sport or recreation, helping to foster a stronger sense of belonging and connection.
Reintroducing Outdoor Education to Hawke's Bay
A significant milestone for The Y Hawke's Bay in 2025 was the reintroduction of outdoor education through our partnership with the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park.
Outdoor education has long been part of The Y's history, and we are excited to be bringing these experiences back in a way that is accessible, inclusive, and relevant for today's young people.
During the year, more than 60 tamariki participated in introductory rafting and archery sessions. These taster experiences provided a safe and supportive environment where young people could challenge themselves, develop teamwork skills, and discover the excitement of outdoor adventure.
For many participants, these activities encouraged them to step outside their comfort zones and experience a sense of achievement that comes from trying something new.
Creating Life-Changing Camp Experiences
Another highlight of the year was supporting tamariki from our programmes to attend two local outdoor adventure camps.
These camps provided immersive experiences that encouraged resilience, independence, leadership, and personal growth. Participants formed new friendships, strengthened their confidence, and developed skills that extended well beyond the camp environment.
For many young people, these camps represented opportunities that may not otherwise have been available to them. By ensuring access to these experiences, we continue to deliver on our commitment to equity, inclusion, and creating positive pathways for all young people.
Looking Ahead
The achievements of 2025 reflect the power of strong partnerships, youth-led practice, and a commitment to creating opportunities where every young person can succeed.
Whether through sport, youth development programmes, outdoor adventure, or community connections, we have seen firsthand the positive impact these experiences can have on confidence, wellbeing, and belonging.
As we look toward the future, we remain committed to listening to the voices of tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau, ensuring our programmes continue to evolve to meet the needs and aspirations of our community.
Together, we are creating opportunities for young people to be active, try new things, build resilience, and discover what they are capable of achieving.
