Bay Pathways & Empowered Youth Centre

04/10/2026

🌟 NEW FREE COURSES IN WAIHI 🌟

Did you—or a young person in your whānau—leave school without formal qualifications?

Perhaps school wasn’t the right environment, learning was interrupted, or you’re simply ready for another opportunity. Whatever the reason, it is never too late to take your next step.

Bay Pathways is now offering free courses in Waihi, with nationally recognised learning delivered in partnership with VETEL:

📘 Certificate in Foundation Skills Level 1
🛍️ Introduction to Retail and Customer Service Level 2
🔧 Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Level 2
➕ Literacy and numeracy support

✅ FREE
✅ Ages 16+
✅ Supportive and welcoming environment
✅ Rolling intake from 12 October

We understand that every learner’s journey is different. Our focus is on helping young people rebuild confidence, develop practical skills and work towards a positive future.

📍 32 Haszard Street, Waihi
📧 Contact Cat: [email protected]

Please share this with any young person or whānau who may benefit. 💙🧡

02/10/2026

🚐 SPONSOR SHOUT-OUT 🚐

A big thank you to the team at Waihi Hire for supporting Bay Pathways and helping keep our rangatahi moving!

We know business is tough for many people at the moment, which makes this support feel even more special and meaningful. We’re incredibly grateful to have local businesses like Waihi Hire choosing to stand behind our rangatahi and the work we do.

Thank you for your generosity and support! 💙

29/09/2026

🚐 MAJOR SPONSOR SHOUT-OUT 🚐

A huge thank you to Dynasty Holtz - EVES Realty for coming on board as a major sponsor of our Bay Pathways van!

Reliable transport is essential to the work we do. It allows us to remove barriers for our rangatahi and connect them with education, employment opportunities, community activities and experiences beyond the classroom.

Your generous support makes a real and practical difference—and we are incredibly grateful to have a local business standing behind our young people and the work we do.

Thank you, Dynasty, for proudly supporting our rangatahi! 💙

04/09/2026

🚐 Want to see your business on the road with Bay Pathways?

We’ve recently purchased a van to help us do what we do every day — getting our rangatahi to and from our education hub and making sure transport isn’t a barrier to engaging in education.
Now we’re looking for local businesses who would like to jump on board as a Bay Pathways Van Sponsor! 🙌

Sponsorship will help contribute towards the cost and ongoing running of the van, with sponsoring businesses having their logo proudly displayed on the vehicle as it travels around Waihi and our wider community.

It’s a pretty cool opportunity to get your business seen while also getting behind local rangatahi. 💛

If your business might be interested — or you know a local business that would be a great fit — send me a message or tag them below!
Email: [email protected]

Let’s get this van covered in the logos of businesses who back our young people. 🚐✨

Bay Pathways | Local people backing local rangatahi

01/09/2026

We are incredibly grateful to OceanaGold Waihi for their generous sponsorship and belief in the work we are doing for our local rangatahi. 💛

Support like this creates a ripple effect far beyond the programme itself — strengthening wellbeing, connection, confidence and hope for our young people, their whānau and our wider community.

Thank you OceanaGold for investing in our rangatahi and helping us create meaningful change. 🌱✨

Spotlight on sponsorships: New programme helps young people thrive

Traditional education doesn’t work for everyone. Bay Pathways Director Cat Sole knows that better than most. For the past 15 years she’s been helping young people whose needs are not always met in mainstream school settings, find learning pathways where they can thrive.

She says every young person’s circumstances are different and many face factors outside the classroom that can affect their learning including financial hardship, access to transport, family circumstances, and diverse learning needs.

“We work closely with Waihi College to provide those students with additional support, including picking them up from home and bringing them to and from the programme, engaging mentors, and creating an environment where they feel safe and supported to focus on their studies,” she says.

More recently, that support includes a wellbeing programme funded by OceanaGold.

The year-long programme complements the existing work of the organisation, by helping the students better understand themselves and how they can make small changes in their lives that will have a big impact on their future. It includes weekly group sessions and one-on-one support with a qualified practitioner to help develop practical strategies for managing challenges and improving wellbeing.
Just a few weeks into the programme the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I knew there needed to be a therapeutic component to help young people better understand themselves, their experiences, and the factors that can affect their learning. This programme is providing that,” Cat says.

For her, the motivation remains simple.

“I just want them all to have some wins. Before coming here, a lot of the students had very low attendance rates, but they’re now sitting closer to 100%. Our most vulnerable and our most under-resourced need someone in their corner. That’s what keeps me going.”

12/08/2026

💛 Let’s Talk About It 💛

Sharing this important community event happening right here in Waihi.

A chance to come together, remember, connect and kōrero about how we can better support one another. 💛

📅 Saturday 12 September
📍 Waihi Event Centre
⏰ 1:30pm–4:00pm
✨ Free community event

At EmpowerED, we believe connection matters. Let’s keep talking, checking in and looking out for one another.

14/07/2026

🌿 Community Space Available for Hire – Waihi 🌿

Looking for a warm, welcoming space to run your classes, workshops or community group?

EmpowerED has several spacious rooms available for afternoon, evening and weekend hire at our hub on 32 Haszard Street, Waihi.

Our spaces are ideal for:
🧘 Yoga or Pilates
🧘‍♀️ Meditation and mindfulness groups
💬 Support groups
👥 Community meetings
🎨 Art and creative workshops
📚 Adult education or short courses
💼 Professional development sessions
❤️ Wellbeing practitioners
🎲 Clubs and hobby groups
🤝 Community organisations

Our vision is to create a positive community hub where people can connect, learn and thrive. We'd love to see our spaces used by organisations and individuals who share a passion for supporting the wellbeing of our community.
If you're looking for a comfortable, affordable venue for regular or casual hire, we'd love to hear from you.
📍 32 Haszard Street, Waihi
📩 Send us a message or email [email protected] to arrange a viewing or discuss your needs.

Please feel free to share this post with anyone who may be interested. 💚

02/07/2026

🌱 Who was the adult that believed in you when you were growing up?

Take a moment to think about that person.

Maybe it was a teacher, coach, grandparent, neighbour, employer or family friend. Someone who listened, encouraged you, believed in you and helped shape the person you've become.
Now imagine if every young person had someone like that in their corner.

At EmpowerED Youth Education Centre, we're looking for caring, genuine members of our community who can spare just 1–2 hours a week to become volunteer mentors for local rangatahi.

You don't need to be a counsellor, teacher or youth worker. You simply need to be someone who is willing to show up consistently, build a positive relationship, listen without judgement, and remind a young person that they matter.

Sometimes mentoring looks like grabbing a hot chocolate, going for a walk, sharing life experiences, talking about careers, helping build confidence, or simply being someone they know they can count on.

Do you have a skill, trade or hobby you'd be willing to share?
Maybe you're handy with tools, enjoy tinkering with cars, love fishing, woodworking, gardening, cooking, photography, music, art, sewing, mechanics or simply fixing things. Some of our rangatahi would thrive alongside someone willing to teach them practical skills while building a genuine connection. Sometimes the best conversations happen shoulder-to-shoulder while working on a project together.

If you've ever thought:
I'd love to give something back.
I'd like to make a difference in a young person's life.
I have life experience or skills that could help someone...we would love to hear from you.

If you'd like to find out more about becoming an EmpowerED volunteer mentor, send us a message or email us at [email protected], We'd love to have a chat about how you could get involved.

07/06/2026

🌟 Space Available in Waihi 🌟

We're looking for individuals, businesses, and community organisations who may be interested in hiring space within our centrally located premises at **32 Haszard Street, Waihi**.

Our site is home to Bay Pathways and Waihi Beach Kids Club and offers a welcoming, professional environment suitable for a range of uses, including:

✅ Meetings and workshops
✅ Counselling or coaching sessions
✅ Health and wellbeing services
✅ Tutoring and education programmes
✅ Community groups
✅ Small business office space
✅ Training and professional development sessions

We have a range of spaces available and are open to discussing regular, casual, or shared-use arrangements.

If you've been looking for an affordable and flexible space to operate from, we'd love to hear from you.

Feel free to send me a message or email: [email protected] to discuss options or arrange a viewing.

Please share with anyone who may be interested!

📍 32 Haszard Street, Waihi

Send a message to learn more

15/05/2026

🎉 YOUTH WEEK COMMUNITY EVENT 🎉

Our rangatahi deserve spaces where they feel seen, supported, connected, and celebrated 💛

This Youth Week, we’re bringing the community together for a FREE event packed with good vibes, fun activities, music, food, connection, and opportunities for our young people to simply be themselves.

Come along, bring your friends and whānau, and help us celebrate the amazing young people in our community 🙌

✨ Free activities
✨ Food & giveaways
✨ Music & entertainment
✨ Chill spaces and positive vibes
✨ Open to all young people

A huge thank you to all of the incredible local businesses, organisations, and sponsors helping make this possible — this event truly is by community, for community 🤝

📍 Waihi Event Centre
📅 Thursday 21st May
⏰ 3pm - 5.30pm

We can’t wait to see everyone there 💥