Porirua City Council last night adopted a framework that places children and young people at the heart of the city.

“In Porirua City, people aged 25 years and under make up nearly 40 percent of our population. That’s why it’s important that we consider them in our decision making - they are such a core part of our city,” says Mayor Mike Tana.

The framework was developed after talking and listening to Porirua’s children and young people as well as community stakeholders across a variety of sectors including social service, education, youth, central government agencies and specialist inter-agency groups.

“We want all our tamariki and rangatahi to thrive in these areas and reach their full potential. We’ve listened to what they’ve said are the issues in their lives so we can advocate for them in the areas that matter,” Mayor Tana says.

Children and young people being at the heart of the city is one of Porirua’s four strategic priorities.

This means that the Council will:

· Advocate for our children’s success in education, work, arts, recreation and sport

· Engage them in city decisions and projects

· Provide healthy and safe environments

· Provide opportunities to participate in the life of our city

· Monitor services for children, young people and their families.

“Given that the new government is focussed on children and young people this is a real opportunity for us to work together and make genuine inroads to dealing with Porirua’s challenges,” Mayor Tana says.

The framework has been shared with Council staff to ensure alignment across different parts of the organisation, says James Jefferson General Manager Policy, Planning and Regulatory Services.

“Our staff are working together on this so that it benefits our children young people and citizens in general as we deliver our work programme for Porirua City.”

Staff will report to the Council on the framework on an annual basis.

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