A Dunedin youth charity has stepped back from ambitious plans to open a large inner-city hub.
Last October The Star reported that plans were in full swing for Tamariki Together to move its operations to a two-storey building on St Andrew St.
The youth hangout next to the central city bus exchange was anticipated to be a safe, supervised space that would include a stage, lounge, pool tables, arcade machines and a milkshake bar.
The upper floor was intended to serve as a community centre where registered adolescents, families and caregivers could work with social workers in a private setting.
With the blessing of his whanau, the hub was going to be called JJs, in honour of 16-year-old Enere McLaren-Taana, who was killed in a knife attack at the bus hub in 2024.
The founders are instead returning to grassroots origins at their North East Valley home to prioritise connections with young people.
Tamariki Together administrator Krystal Ryland said navigating the complex funding landscape and transforming into a formal charity took a heavy toll.
"We were building the structure faster than we were building the foundation, as we realised."
She and her partner, founder and chief executive Tanga Tiatoa, were spending more time in meetings and administration than in direct connection with youth.
"Tamariki Together was always about presence and we wanted to protect that."
Ms Ryland said the fast pace of trying to establish the new space meant they were missing out on vital moments with youth.
"We are choosing sustainability over speed."
They have now paused the central hub project, although the St Andrew St landlord remains supportive of their long-term vision.
"We have realised that the building doesn’t create safety, people do.
"We are going back to just doing the programmes we started with."
The organisation is returning to where it all began, in a North East Valley garage affectionately known as the "batcave" by its young members.
It is reinvigorating its Music Heals programme and bringing back its Art of Fun sessions.
"We had to put that on a pause because we were constantly in meetings."
For now, the focus is on rebuilding a strong internal foundation, establishing a governance board and securing operational funding.
The team will also continue using its food trucks to connect with the community at parks and beaches.
"The food truck connection supports the kaupapa and profits are reinvested into our free programmes.
"Tamariki Together has always been community-centred, where we realised early on to support the young people properly we also need to support the environments around them — their families and the wider community."
