Giving Our Young People a Voice to Shape Their Future

As parents, caregivers, and community members, we spend every day supporting our young people as they navigate school, career choices, and the complexities of growing up in the Central South Island. We want them to thrive in strong, supportive communities—but to build those environments, we first need to understand their reality.

Since 2014, the Y Central South Island has conducted our biennial Youth Survey to take a clear, accurate pulse of taiohi aged 12 to 24. It stands as our organisation’s largest piece of advocacy, covering everything from attitudes toward local opportunities to mental health and personal wellbeing.

This year’s survey, themed “Your Voice Matters,” runs from 25 August to 5 September. It offers a vital window into what life is really like for our youth across the North Otago, Waimate, South Canterbury, Mackenzie and Mid Canterbury district and towns.

The values and experiences shared in this survey do not sit on a shelf. The Y directly shares the aggregated findings with local councils, health providers, schools, social service agencies, and community leaders. Decision-makers across our regions rely on this data to design practical programmes, allocate funding, and craft policies that reflect what our young people actually need.

When our rangatahi speak, local leadership listens. Their feedback helps ensure our towns remain vibrant places where young people feel valued, safe, and supported to build their futures.

We know that the pressures facing families and young people have shifted. To keep the survey relevant and respect participants’ time, we have streamlined it from a three-part model into a single, comprehensive questionnaire. Through a research partnership with Dr Valerie Sotardi and Dr Victoria Leggett from the University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, the 2026 survey includes key updates to address modern challenges—most notably around health and wellbeing, housing security, and everyday living pressures.

How You Can Help

As parents and caregivers, your encouragement is the most powerful tool we have to ensure every corner of our region is represented—from our main centres like Timaru, Ashburton, and Oamaru to our rural farming communities.

When the survey opens on 25 August, please encourage the 12 to 24-year-olds in your home, workplace, local organisation or sports club to take 25 minutes to complete it online. It is completely confidential and anonymous. Your young people will also have a chance to win one of 15 x $100 prezzy cards by completing the full survey.

By supporting your young people to share their honest experiences, you are helping us advocate for a brighter, more responsive future for the entire Central South Island.

The survey will be open online from 25 August to 5 September at https://ymcasc.org.nz/event/youth-survey-2026/ or can be found on our Y Central South Island NZ Facebook page.