Pūtake Nui
Rangatahi Potential
Permission gained for use of image by Te Waiariki Purea Trust
About Pūtake Nui
Pūtake Nui is a collective impact approach that focuses on a shared vision of Rotorua rangatahi being able to reach their potential, through consciously seeking opportunities to work differently together.
It’s about recognising that we can make more of a difference for young people by continuously looking for new ways to do things, and ways to work together more.
Putting a Pūtake Nui approach into action focuses on putting four key principles into practice in the way we provide services and support to rangatahi across Rotorua. Those principles are:
- Act Early, Act Together: Ensuring that rangatahi get the support they need, when they need it, by connecting with those who can provide what they need.
- Rangatahi with Aspirations: Rangatahi growing up with aspirations for their lives, and a pathway to achieve them.
- Rangatahi-centric: Rangatahi involved, and their needs and perspectives at the centre of all things rangatahi.
- Rangatahi Wellbeing: Rangatahi flourishing in all aspects of their lives.
Pūtake Nui’s Whakapapa
Pūtake Nui was initiated by a forum of local and central government, social sector initiatives and community. This group initiated an action research project called ‘Engaging Rotorua Rangatahi in Positive Pathways’, which explored opportunities to develop a whole of community collaborative approach to supporting rangatahi engagement, and made recommendations that led to the development of Pūtake Nui.
Development of the approach was founded on community discussion with many people contributing their ideas and time, both in the early stages of development and through activity and initiatives that have sprung from it.
The original ‘Engaging Rotorua Rangatahi in Positive Pathways’ reports can be found here:
Engaging Rangatahi in Positive Pathways – Conclusions and Evidence
Engaging Rangatahi in Positive Pathways – Recommendations Report
Supporting Pūtake Nui
Pūtake Nui doesn’t have a formal entity – it’s an approach that creates space for people to come together and work together differently. The ‘backbone’ support for Pūtake Nui is provided through:
- A Collective Steering Group that protects the integrity of the Pūtake Nui kaupapa, and promotes and supports implementation of the approach. The membership and size of the Steering Group us not fixed but can change over time, reflecting the principle of having ‘the right people in the room at the right time’. Steering group representation is intended to be diverse and to include a balance of representation between government agencies and community / non-government groups and providers.
- Organisations taking on a fund-holder role to hold and manage resource as needed to support Pūtake Nui activity and collaborative projects.
- Contractors to support Pūtake Nui activity – see contacts below for the Pou Whakapiri.
Permission gained for use of image by Te Waiariki Purea Trust
Current Focus Areas
By Youth For Youth Funding – A Prototype
We’re testing an approach for by-youth-for-youth funding to support Rotorua young people’s ideas to happen, by running a prototype to fund a small number of initiatives. A Prototype Team supports and makes the funding decisions. The aim is that this will lead to an ongoing youth-led funding mechanism being established to support youth initiatives in Rotorua.
Find out more here:
About the Youth Participatory Funding Prototype
Prototype Flipbook
A Strong Youth Development Community
We’re working on strengthening Rotorua’s youth development community, so people who support rangatahi are connected, work together, and share an underpinning youth development approach based on good youth development practice.
Relationship Building
To work collaboratively we need to be connected and to have trusting relationships with each other. Networking forums create a space for youth workers to connect, learn about each other’s services, and discuss what’s happening in the sector and what opportunities exist to work together. This is a space for those who work directly with rangatahi with a youth development focus, whether their job title says ‘youth worker’ or something different.
Strengthening Youth Development Practice
Creating professional development opportunities that provide a shared foundation for work with rangatahi, so we have shared understanding and language to support working together.
One way Pūtake Nui works on this is supporting delivery of an annual two-day wānanga through Ara Taiohi, the peak body for youth development in Aotearoa. This incorporates workshops on:
– Mana Taiohi: the principle-based framework that provides a foundation for working with young people in Aotearoa.
– Code of Ethics for Youth Work in Aotearoa: which provides guidelines for working with young people that ensure practice is safe, skillful and ethical.
Rangatahi Wellbeing
A group of providers met recently to explore potential ideas and opportunities to make a difference for rangatahi wellbeing.
If you’d like to be included in future discussions on this, contact the Pou Whakapiri: 021 0254 9666 – pouwhakapiri@putakenui.org.nz
Informing and Connecting
Pūtake Nui has a wide-ranging contacts database of people who work with and support Rotorua rangatahi, for sharing information and promoting opportunities for professional development, community discussion, shared work, and more. If you want to be included when we share information – or if you have information to share with those who work with and support Rotorua rangatahi, contact the Pou Whakapiri: 021 0254 9666 – pouwhakapiri@putakenui.org.nz
Ways to implement a Pūtake Nui approach
These are some ways you and your organisation can put a Pūtake Nui approach into action:
Ways to put Pūtake Nui into Practice
Get Involved!
Many people and organisations are on board, bringing ideas, connections, and most importantly a shared passion for making a positive difference for rangatahi.
To connect with us and hear about what’s happening, contact the Pou Whakapiri:
Diana Beattie (‘Beattie’) – 021 0254 9666 – pouwhakapiri@putakenui.org.nz
Links to Youth Development Resources
Ara Taiohi
www.arataiohi.org.nz/
Youth Development Approach
www.myd.govt.nz/working-with-young-people/youth-development-approach
Positive Youth Development in Aotearoa
PYDA+Digital_Final+2025
Youth Plan
www.myd.govt.nz/information-for-young-people/youth-plan
Ministry of Youth Development
www.myd.govt.nz/
Thanks to Taiohi Tūrama for hosting this page on behalf of Pūtake Nui.