The 2020 Waitomo District Youth Council (WDYC) has been formed and will host its first event this
weekend.

The WDYC met last week to agree their work plan for the year, which will kick off this Friday with a
Battle of the Valley’s, formally Battle of the Towns.

The WDYC should have been formed earlier in the year but COVID-19 put a halt to plans and last
Tuesday was the first time the group could come together.

Clowdy Ngatai, WDC community development co-ordinator says,“The youth council is about bringing
young people together to connect in a positive way. The whakatauki (proverb) that guides this group
is “tō tātou reo, ki tua – our voice your future”.

“Lock down has presented limitations for our crew but these young ladies are resilient and able to
adapt. They used social media to communicate while in lockdown to discuss ideas and now they’re
determined to get stuck in with their events.”

Teams from Te Kuiti High School, Piopio College and Te Wharekura o Maniapoto, made up of 7-10
students, have been invited to battle it out over the weekend. The challenges will focus on
sustainable living, community connection and host responsibility.

Up for grabs will be the ‘Battle of the Towns’ trophy with the last champions being Piopio College.
Members of the WDYC have planned this weekend’s three day event, bringing everything together
to give young people from the different schools the chance to battle it out and earn the mana of
taking the trophy back to their valley.

The challenges are focused on teams learning new skills, becoming more aware of their
environment, youth issues, and it will provide an opportunity for the competitors to work together
to give back to our community. They’re all pretty competitive, so I’m sure it will be a great watch,
says Ngatai.

Supported by the Waitomo District Council since 2017 the WDYC was set up to engage youth and
encourage youth participation in the community.

Battle of the valley’s will run: Friday 26 and Saturday 27 June 5-9pm and Sunday 28 June 10-4pm