“Many young people from Kaikohe don’t get an opportunity to attend places outside of their town or to experience places like Auckland and Rainbow’s End for a number of reasons, so this was a great opportunity” says Wally Te Huia, Youth Development Worker, NZ Police and Mid North Blue Light member in Kaikohe on the 25 young people he took to Blue Light’s Rainbow’s End Fundays, held last weekend, on 7 and 8 September.
The 18 students from Kaikohe Intermediate School and 7 Northland College students joined the over 2,000 young people from across the upper North Island for a day of fun and excitement with their local Police and Blue Light volunteers at New Zealand’s largest theme park – Rainbow’s End.
Rainbow’s End Fundays sees Police, who volunteer their time with Blue Light through a unique MOU, not only support and interact with young people, but also join them on the rides such as ‘Stratosfear’, ‘Fearfall’ and ‘Invader’.
Photo Above L to R: Jason Te Huia, Police Senior Sergeant, Training & Development Coordinator Armed Offenders Squad, Northland College students, and Kaikohe Blue Light’s Wally Te Huia, Police Youth Development Worker, at Rainbow’s End Fundays 7 and 8 September 2024.
“It’s about being able to provide Police with an opportunity to engage with young people in a relaxed and enjoyable setting so they can build positive connections” says Blue Light CEO Brendon Crompton.
“Building relationships between youth and Police is very important to me, teaching our young people to become awesome leaders in their whanau homes, school and community is our “Kaupapa” in all our activities” says Wally, who also runs the Toiora Early Intervention programme across Northland schools.
Fundays sees young people selected by Blue Light branches as far away as Kaikohe in the North, and Taranaki and Turangi Blue Light in the South. The annual Rainbow’s End Fundays, which have been run by Blue Light for over 30 years, also rewards young people for their school attendance, behaviour and service roles to such as road patrollers and peer mentors to attend.
While the young people were racing around on rides, Blue Light staff and Green by Nature volunteers kept the
food flowing with a non-stop BBQ cooking a total of over 3,000 sausages over the Fundays event.
Blue Light would like to thank its partner Green by Nature, Rano Community Trust, local community sponsors and supporters that enabled so many young people to attend Rainbow’s End Fundays this year.
Photo Above L to R: Green by Nature volunteers with Green by Nature Director Cameron Parr and Blue Light CEO Brendon Crompton with Police and young people attending Rainbow’s End Fundays 7 and 8 September 2024.
About Green by Nature
Green by Nature designs breathtaking landscapes and open spaces, transforming blank blocks into stunning destinations. We craft vibrant environments that imbue developments with a sense of place. Drawing on our 120-year heritage as green space nurturers, we are powered by Green Options, Recreational Services, Skyline Landscape Services and Super Gardens. Green by Nature exists to drive positive change to green spaces, communities, and our environments across Australasia.
