Tall Poppy Raises $10,000 for Kāpiti Youth Support

Tall Poppy Real Estate’s national HQ office, based in Kāpiti, organised a golf fundraising day in March, which saw more than 70 people play at Waikanae Golf course, raising $10,000 for KYS.

KYS has 5600 young people enrolled - 76% of the total youth population (aged 10 - 25 years) in Kāpiti. Raechel Osborne, KYS CEO, says the money raised will go towards its Youth Rep Programme, which trains young people from Kāpiti, Paraparaumu and Ōtaki Colleges to work with peers in their schools and employs them to work 2 hours per week.  

“The money will help support this programme and ensure we continue to have relevant youth representation within KYS. We have had graduates from our programme return to work at KYS as social workers, youth workers and nurses - it has long-term benefits for our community.

“This year, we will mark 25 years of delivering health, social and support services to Kāpiti’s young people in November, but funding mental health and health continues to be a major issue, with no increase in our core health funding for 15 years,” says Raechel.

KYS is part of a nationwide network of Youth One Stop Shops petitioning the Government for an immediate increase in funding. The group presented its petition asking for more funding to Parliament on 18 May 2021. Raechel Osborne says there’s increasing demand for health, mental health, and social support in Kāpiti, particularly after COVID-19.

Michael Seymour, Tall Poppy Director, says KYS plays a crucial but largely unrecognised role in the community and says this is the start of a long-term fundraising relationship between both organisations.