Youth Council

The Waitaki District Youth Council is a voice for young people in Waitaki. The council comprises a group of Waitakians between the ages of 12 and 24. Our aim is to ensure the voice of Waitaki's young people is heard and well represented in local government. We are seeking to engage local youth to make Waitaki District the best place to be.

What do we do?

Advise the Waitaki District Council and advocates for youth interests in local government decisions.
Identifies youth related issues and opportunities in the Waitaki district.
Make submissions to local and central government.
Organise or support youth orientated events.
Identify short, medium and long term goals for our young people, and work towards achieving them.
Support initiatives that encourage young people to get involved in community events, and to volunteer their time.
Learn meeting procedure.

Being part of Youth Council

If you want to be a part of the Youth Council please contact us on 03 433 0300 or by visiting our Youth Council Facebook page. Membership is decided in October, but expressions of interest are accepted all year.

Applications for the Waitaki Youth Council for 2025 open 1 October 2024 and close 31 October 2024.

Youth councillors are expected to:

Attend and actively participate in monthly Youth Council meetings.
Seek the views from peers on youth related issues.
Play an active part in decision making, and take ownership of any follow up roles created as a result of these decisions.
Undertake any reading or other preparation required for upcoming meetings.

Waitaki Youth Council Online Application

Aspiring Leaders Forum

If you are interested in the Aspiring Leaders Forum, please go to the following page to learn about it, and how to apply for sponsorship from the WDC and Otago Community Trust.

Aspiring Leaders Forum Nominations

Youth Council meetings

Youth Council meetings are held every month - Please contact us on 03 433 0300 to find out the meeting venue. Youth Council meetings are open to the public, agendas and minutes are available on request. Generally, the meeting is also at tended by an elected member who reports back to Council for local government decisions.

The meeting begins with a public forum. We encourage Waitaki's young people to present any ideas or issues at the public forum. If you want to present your ideas please contact us on 03 433 0300 or by visiting our Youth Council Facebook page.

Contact us

Please contact one of our youth councillors through your school if you have any issues, or ideas for projects or events.

For any general enquiries please contact us on 03 433 0300 or by visiting our Youth Council Facebook page.

Name	School	Email
Sophie Notman (Chairperson)	Waitaki Girls High School	sophie.notman06@gmail.com
Lincoln Brosnahan (Deputy Chairperson)	Waitaki Boys High School	lincolnbrosnahan2006@gmail.com
Adrianna Dowling	St Kevins College
Leilanitiare De La Ford	St Kevins College
Emily Hyslop	St Kevins College
Franz Lauglaug	St Kevins College
Kezia Pestell	St Kevins College
Jake Crossan	Waitaki Boys High School
Noah Fifita	Waitaki Boys High School
Lachlan Wright	Waitaki Boys High School
Sophie Brown	Waitaki Girls High School
Charlotte Lane	Waitaki Girls High School
Olivia Morriss	Waitaki Girls High School
Sophie Rohrback	Waitaki Girls High School
Blayde Forbes	Out of School
Kuramairangi Ainsley	Totara School