Inaugural Rotorua Youth Festival set to entwine culture, sports and education

More than 50 volunteers, countless activities, a bunch of rangatahi and one man on a mission is the recipe for the inaugural Rotorua Youth Festival.

Puketawhero Park is set to host the festival for the first time on March 16, from 10am to 7.30pm.

There will be live kapa haka performances, three a side basketball, a rugby league nines tournament, a slip and slide and a "tonne" of community organisations coming together.

E Tū Whānau senior adviser and event organiser Sash Stosic said the key aspect of the event was the opportunity to grow and develop youth leadership skills while enjoying a day filled with sport, music and cultural activities.

"This event is an opportunity to bring together all the awesome things people are doing in Rotorua... and a chance to look at how we can work together so we can turn these one-off opportunities into an ongoing relationship for rangatahi."

Rotorua youth festival facilitators, from left Rachel Tatton, Harina Rupapera and Sash Stosic. Photo / Stephen Parker

Stosic said there would be a "Whakaaro Wall" for rangatahi to share their ideas which he hoped would better inform stakeholders moving forward.

"What we want to do is capture all this information and share it back with the providers and the whānau and the rangatahi so they can better understand how to maintain these relationships."

He said through his work with E Tū Whānau he knew youth wanted to be inspired and engaged and he believed there was no better way to achieve that than the Youth Festival.

Stosic said his passion for providing opportunities for whānau stemmed from his rugby league background.

"Growing up in hardship, albeit a very loving whānau, we didn't always have toothpaste to brush our teeth or bread and butter on the table.

"Playing rugby league, it was the first place where I was able to be surrounded and immersed in an environment where the kids had no shoes like I had, they dressed like I dressed and their houses looked like a shack of a home that was rundown."

Para Kore kaiārahi Harina Rupapera works to encourage zero waste through te ao Māori channels and will hold workshops at the festival.

She said her passion was to empower her people and helping their development.

"Youth is a very important age because they are at their most vulnerable and susceptible to all kinds of oppressions in society."

Event volunteer Rachel Tatton said she supported youth events because she had a teenage daughter.

"I believe positive community engagement is key to creating opportunities for our rangatahi to flourish."