18-30 City Vibrancy Think Tank - Think outside the pizza box!

An 18-30 City Vibrancy Think Tank was facilitated by COIN South to build on the feedback we receive to develop ideas for Council and stakeholders to consider taking forward.

During SIT O Week, twenty-two participants aged from 18 to 30 years old tested ideas from our previous engagement and co-design solutions for a more vibrant city around four main themes: Youth activities / meeting spaces, Night Life, City Environment and Transports. A human library with experts from both private and public sectors was present to inform the process while leaving complete free reign to the young persons. Thanks to those who have made this event a success!

At the end of the session, each groups presented ideas that were definitely "out of the pizza box": A night food market, an event platform dedicated to youth events, a renting app matching community group and landlords... Some of these projects will be orientated to existing organisations or supported for business launch while some others may be directly used for Council's next Long-term plan strategy. COIN South is currently working on a report with key recommendations to inform Council and key stakeholders, this will be published at a later date and added to the Documents section of this page.

Do you have a great community project for 18-30 and need some fundings for it?

The Community Wellbeing Fund supports projects that align with our Council's vision "Our city with heart - He Ngākau Aroha".

Apply for funding here

Are you a keen entrepreneur? Will your project benefit 18-30 years old?

Contact the team at COIN South to talk about your business, venture or project idea and get feedback from their innovator network.

Find more about here

Invercargill City Council held a stand at the SIT Orientation Week to invite students to leave comments about what do they want for their city. Information was also provided about Council’s upcoming 18-30 City Vibrancy Think Tank event held the same week as well as Council's public transports, funding opportunities and city map.

To the question “What do you want for your city?” 25 comments from students were left from participants aged 18 to 30 age years old. Here are below the main themes emerged from SIT students feedback:

- More activities for 18-25 and cultural events, such as concerts, cultural festivals, markets and night events.

- A more creative and diverse food and drink scene and a more vibrant night life.

- More diverse spaces, especially for LGBTQIA+ Community: Queer bar, cafe, etc.

- A more walkable and inviting city environment: More walkaways and street lights, efficient public transports and fixed road.

The full content of the comments and ideas can be found in the Documents section of this page.

The Invercargill City Council wants to hear views from young people how to support the vibrancy of our city. The results will be shared with the wider community and will inform Council’s 10 years strategy for the next 2024 -2034 Long-term Plan.

On Friday 25 November, Invercargill City Council and young members of key organisations held a stand at Invercargill Central to get ideas from young people on how to make Invercargill a more attractive place to live and work. The participants were invited to either leave comments on post-it notes or to share their views through an online survey, they could then spin a wheel to win some prizes – up to $100 shopping voucher. The online survey was open from 17 November to 9 December 2022.

Thank to those who shared their ideas with us online and during the event. Council has received nearly 300 comments and 400 ideas with recurring themes such as youth activities / meeting spaces, nightlife, city environment, transport and family activities. The full ideas summary can be found in the Documents section of this page.

The next step will be a creative thinking workshop in February 2023 to build on the ideas previously collected.