Kirikiriroa Family Services Trust chief executive Dr Nicole Coupe. The trust is running the new Kimi Manaakitanga Play Stay Grow Hub. Photo: Supplied
A new hub is open in Hamilton central that will be an all-hours safe place for vulnerable young teenagers to get back on track.
It comes after a spate of ram raids in Waikato, the latest of which saw four young people arrested, aged between 14 and 18 last month.
The Kirikiriroa Family Services Trust is running the Kimi Manaakitanga Play Stay Grow Hub, which includes a music room, art room, gaming room and outdoor basketball court.
Its chief executive, Dr Nicole Coupe, said a number of rangatahi had stopped attending school and the hub would be a place for them to belong and receive support.
"Within our region a number of our rangatahi post-Covid have not been able to re-engage back in school which has left them quite disenfranchised within our community."
Coupe said rangatahi had put forward a wish-list for the hub and the services it was offering.
"We've involved our tamariki and rangatahi in the design of this programme so they have a voice and can govern it as much as possible. We're just there to enable that to occur," she said.
"They're the leaders - they'll work out what they need, how they need it, when they need it and why they need it."
Mychail Harris-Hill will be involved in the hub and said he hoped it would keep young people out of trouble.
"You can come here, socialise, have a shower, have a feed, have a sleep. That's really the message, to come here if you need or if you want."
Some young people needed help to stay away from crime, he said.
"Most of them are literally children, 12 to 14, and I believe they think that's survival instinct, they've grown up in poverty or abuse. With this you can sidetrack them, show them that there's a better path than ramming your car into a shop."
The hub was designed by youth, for youth. Photo: Supplied
Another teenager attending the opening on Friday said it ticked all the boxes.
"Everything's here. You can form a brotherhood here," he said.
"Everybody's welcome, the door is always open. I'm going to get mentored for a bit. I like working with people... I just want to be a part of it."
The kaupapa Māori service is partly funded through Hamilton City Council's crime prevention initiatives.
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said the hub would focus on early-intervention.
"We are a young city, and we want our rangatahi to be supported to thrive, and to reach their full potential."
The hub would also help police to find safe places to house young people who may be at risk or in unsafe environments.
Rangitahi had put forward a wish-list for the hub and the services it was offering. Photo: Supplied
Police Hamilton City Area Commander, Inspector Andrea McBeth, said the hub would ensure young people could feel safe and had the support they needed.
"Our rangatahi will know there is a safe place for them to go anytime of the day or night, if they are facing challenging circumstances, need support or want to connect with their neighbourhoods," she said.
Coupe said Kirikiriroa Family Services had saved for two decades to start the service, which rangatahi would have a role in governing.
"Success looks as simple as smiles on our rangatahi faces. Seeing them walking proud on our streets and not hiding under hoodies. Engaging positively because they're happy, healthy, and getting what they need in the world," she said.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was at the opening of the hub on Friday.