Every two years, the Y Central South Island takes a hard, honest look at what life is actually like for our young people aged 12 to 24 across the region — spanning Ashburton, Timaru, Waitaki, Waimate, and Mackenzie.

The 2026 Youth Survey, redeveloped alongside researchers from the University of Canterbury and backed by 1398 responses, has given us a crystal-clear pulse of our young people's hearts, hustles, and hard realities.

The findings are right in front of us. The challenge that sits with us all, is how we respond to it.

The Realities on the Ground

On the bright side, our young people still show a solid baseline of local pride. Across the districts, nearly 60% agree that their home is a good place to be a young person, and education and study pathways are viewed with general optimism. Yet, the heavier regional truths cannot be ignored — the findings in the survey are similar across the region.

The Mental Health Crisis: Over half of our young people (52.5%) are carrying high or very high levels of psychological distress on the K10 scale (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale)

Cost-of-Living Hardship: Financial pressure is biting deep right across the region — around 1 in 4 young people report skipped meals or cold homes due to cost, and nearly 1 in 10 have experienced an unstable sleeping situation in the past year.

The Neurodivergent Gap: One of the most striking findings in the data is that our neurodivergent taiohi (making up a third of respondents) consistently report harder journeys across almost every measure, including double the rates of housing instability and severe psychological distress.

Substance pressures: Vaping, smoking, and alcohol continue to dominate the community health concerns flagged by young people.

We can run surveys until the cows come home. We can compile sleek reports, drop them onto funders/stakeholders’ agendas, and hold nice meetings to discuss the percentages, but what actual difference will this data make if no one reads and responds to it?

If these numbers just sit on a digital shelf, we are failing the very generation we are meant to be uplifting. It is time to stop treating youth wellbeing and voice as a "nice-to-have" checkbox and start putting these insights to work across every layer of our community:

To our families and whānau: The data tells us loud and clear that young people turn to you first — family and friends are by far their primary port of call in a tough spot. Check in, kōrero often, and back them up when the weight gets heavy.

To our employers: The ambition and capability are there, but the navigation tools are less accessible and/or understood. Many young people are still left feeling unsure of where to look for work or how to easily cross the gap into employment. Step up, offer gateway opportunities, and help build local futures.

To local government (across Ashburton, Timaru, Waimate, Waitaki, and Mackenzie): Young people want to feel actively valued, not just talked about. When shaping local spaces, public transport, and community infrastructure, make sure youth voices aren't an afterthought — make them central in your decision making.

To youth-focused, social sector and other government and non-government organisations: The traditional, one-size-fits-all playbooks aren't cutting it. We need targeted, neurodivergent-friendly support, proactive outreach to those sleeping rough or feeling isolated, and a commitment to meeting young people where they are at — whether that's on TikTok, Spotify, or Snapchat.

The 2026 survey has given us the blueprint. The voice of the next generation across the Central South Island has been spoken loud and clear. The real question now isn't what the data says. It's what we are going to do about it.