Every young person carries something special within them. Whether it is confidence or leadership waiting to be noticed, it often just needs the right space to flourish. That is the simple but powerful belief at the heart of local organisation Kia Mau Talent. That all rangatahi throughout the Western Bay of Plenty already hold potential, and some need help to take their next steps.
Kia Mau works with rangatahi aged 13-24 through Kaupapa māori workshops, summits, events and tailored multi-session programmes designed around each group. Their mahi can include confidence building, leadership development, identity-based learning, career exploration, practical life skills, mentoring and creating pathways into further help where needed. They work closely with whānau, schools, iwi, councils and community organisations so young people are not left trying to navigate different services on their own.
The focus is on helping local rangatahi understand their own strengths, how to use them in everyday life, and see where those strengths could take them, their whānau, and the wider community. For Kiri Diamond, Chair of Kia Mau, the starting point was simple as she and the full Kia Mau team knew local rangatahi already had the talent and potential within them.
“Instead of starting with labels or outcomes, the team starts with the young person, with their identity, their strengths and the support they need to grow,” she says. “We’re giving them permission to be who they are and they usually haven’t had that before.”
That belief shapes how Kia Mau works day to day. Sessions are designed to be practical and relationship based, with time spent understanding each young person, what support is already around them, and what will help them feel ready to take part. The focus is not to push rangatahi towards one fixed version of success, but to help them build the self-belief and sense of identity needed to take the next step in a way that feels right for them. This wraparound approach is important because a young person may be connected to several services at once, and when those connections are not aligned, important opportunities can be missed.
Lead Facilitator, Jay Tihema says local rangatahi do not need fixing, they need the right conditions to thrive.
“Their potential is already there,” he says. “What’s missing are the right conditions to draw it out. When we stop boxing rangatahi into one narrow idea of success, their strengths show up in ways that often surprise the adults in the room.”
Jay says change can happen quickly when rangatahi are encouraged to step forward. At a recent summit, young people nervous about speaking in front of a room full of community and government representatives became some of the most engaging speakers in the room. With encouragement and the chance to back themselves, they found their voice and others saw it too.
That is why support for groups like Kia Mau matters. Local funder, TECT Community Trust supports this mahi because when local young people are encouraged to recognise their gifts and stand strong in who they are, the effects ripple out through whānau, schools, workplaces and the wider community.
TECT Trustee Peter Blackwell says the value of Kia Mau;s work extends well beyond one programme or one young person itself.
“It strengthens their whānau, grows confidence and helps build a stronger future for our whole community,” says Peter. “Kia Mau are helping our young people find their spark, back themselves and grow into the people they are capable of becoming.”
Over the past seven years, Kia Mau has connected more than 500 rangatahi across the Western Bay of Plenty. For anyone wanting to learn more about Kia Mau Talent, their website is the best place to start: www.kiamautalent.org.nz.
