Young people get in the Zone

No school doesn’t mean you can't hang out with friends.

A free youth festival in Bluff this week gave young people from all over Southland a spot to meet with friends and do tonnes of activities to kickstart their holidays.

In its second year running, the Rangatahi Zone offered a variety of activities from a smash-it room to a range of arts and crafts activities.

Tuurama Trust Cultural activator Jay Coote said it was very important for young people to have a space to connect with each other during the school holidays.

He said the event included spaces like the Wairua Zone that encouraged young people to connect with new people as well as keep their health in check.

“[It] gives young people an opportunity to connect with support services and talk with someone in confidence about anything that they may have going on.”

The Wairua Zone had traditional healers and some card readers as well for young people to access.

There were free buses all the way from Gore to Tuatapere and Winton available to get to the Rangatahi Zone in Bluff, Mr Coote said.

The event began last year after four young men died in a car crash near Queens Park in Invercargill.

Mr Coote said three of those young men were from Bluff and it had really affected the community, so the Rangatahi Zone was there to offer support.

"I think for us as adults this is a good opportunity to provide those support services and hopefully give some good direction for our young people just to make those really good positive decisions and choices."

More than 70 organisations contributed to the funding for the event including Invercargill City Council, Community Trust of Southland, Te Putahitanga o Te Waipounamu, Te Puni Kokiri, Sanford Salmon fund, South Port and One NZ.