“It’s a powerful way for the community to see Police engaging with all young people, not just a selected group.” says Shane Gould, Community Youth Coordinator in North Rodney, Auckland on the 233 young people he took to Blue Light’s Rainbow’s End Fundays, held last weekend, on 7 and 8 September 2024.
The North Rodney Blue Light branch, which covers several rural schools has been attending Blue Light’s Rainbow’s End Fundays for over 25 years. This year saw 233 youth, 11 adult volunteers, and Police staff come together for the fun-filled day. “This is our largest event, and we’ve steadily increased the number of schools involved over the years,” Shane explains.
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: The Invader Rider with young people and their families 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.
“Police enjoy seeing youth in a positive environment rather than the challenging situations they are sometimes working with. The community benefits from seeing Police engaging with all the youth,” says Shane.
North Rodney Blue Light’s participation was supported by several generous sponsors. “We would like to thank Mason Containers in Warkworth, Wharehine Contractors in Wellsford, Constellation Communities Trust, Oxford Sports Trust, and the Lions Club in Wellsford, who fully sponsored six students and covered bus transport for many others,” Shane acknowledges.
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, 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.
