A successful Porirua employment programme supporting young people into work has secured a new three-year contract with the Ministry of Social Development, allowing twice as many rangatahi to receive support each year.
Porirua Whānau Centre has renewed its He Poutama Rangatahi contract, expanding the programme to work with 40 young people every year over the next three years—a total of 120 rangatahi aged between 15 and 24.
The renewed investment follows six years of strong outcomes helping young people who face significant barriers to employment, education and training.
Programme Manager TJ Fermanis says the continued growth of the initiative reflects the confidence MSD has in the programme’s ability to connect with rangatahi who have often disengaged from mainstream education and employment pathways.
Since launching in 2020, the programme has steadily expanded. It initially supported 40 rangatahi over two years, before increasing to 50 participants during the following contract period and later reaching 57 young people.
The latest agreement represents the largest commitment yet, enabling the Whānau Centre to work with more young people than ever before.
He Poutama Rangatahi focuses on building practical work readiness by helping participants develop confidence, communication skills, driver’s licences, CVs and workplace experience.
Rather than relying solely on classroom learning, the programme creates real-world opportunities where rangatahi can discover their strengths through hands-on activities.
One of its most successful initiatives has seen participants operate a food truck and prepare and sell hāngī, allowing them to gain experience in food preparation, customer service, cash handling, teamwork and small business operations.
The programme is designed to show young people that they already possess valuable skills, while giving them the confidence to see themselves as capable employees and future leaders.
Many of the rangatahi entering the programme face complex challenges, including early school disengagement, limited qualifications, involvement with the justice system and long-term family reliance on income support.
Porirua Whānau Centre says addressing those barriers requires more than employment services alone—it requires trusted relationships built over many years within the local community.
Based in Cannons Creek since 1994, the organisation has developed strong relationships with local whānau, enabling staff to engage young people who may otherwise struggle to access support.
That community trust has become one of the programme’s greatest strengths, helping participants remain engaged even when facing difficult circumstances at home.
The impact is already being seen in the lives of young people completing the programme.
One participant who left school at the age of 14 after experiencing bullying described the programme as the most positive experience of his life to date. Since completing the programme, he has secured a job interview while also taking positive steps to address personal challenges.
For Māori, initiatives such as He Poutama Rangatahi play an important role in improving employment outcomes through kaupapa that recognise the importance of whānau, community and strengths-based support. Māori rangatahi continue to experience disproportionately higher rates of unemployment and barriers to education, making locally led programmes an important part of strengthening economic participation and long-term wellbeing.
As the programme expands over the next three years, Porirua Whānau Centre hopes to continue creating opportunities for rangatahi to build confidence, gain employment and realise their potential while strengthening the wider community.
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