A new wellbeing space in Matamata is opening its doors today, with a vision that goes far beyond physical activity.

Created by Starfish Health & Wellbeing Centre, The Reef | Ākau is designed to be a welcoming place where everyone can move, connect, build confidence and discover what helps them thrive.

For Starfish CEO and founder Jo McIntosh, The Reef | Ākau is the next step in a vision the organisation has held since it began in 2009 - supporting the whole person.

“The Starfish vision, again, from the beginning, has been to provide a space for young people and whaanau. Mind, body, and soul is the actual wording,” Jo says.

“We feel like we've done the mind really well over the years, and this is the fulfilment of that wider vision into the body, because we know that those two things connect so well: mind and body.”

The Reef | Ākau will offer physical activity alongside wider wellbeing support, with programmes shaped around the needs of the people using them.

Importantly, it has been developed by listening to rangatahi and the wider community about what they need, what stops them participating and what would help them feel comfortable walking through the door.

For Starfish Youth Coach and Mentor Rewiti Vaimoso, physical activity can provide a powerful way to connect with young people who may otherwise be difficult to reach.

Through working with high-risk young people, he found activities such as boxing, jiu-jitsu and working out could create the connection and trust needed to begin working towards much bigger goals - including education, employment and getting a driver's licence.

“The great connector of community and all that sort of stuff always seems to come from sports,” Rewiti says. “I want to galvanise that and take that and bring that here also.”

One programme already demonstrating the approach is Te Oranga, a six-week programme led by Paris Morgan for high school aged girls 12–18 who may not have found their place in traditional sport or other activities.

It provides a safe environment to try physical activity alongside journaling, mental wellbeing and other experiences.

For Paris, one of the most powerful outcomes has been watching girls grow in confidence. One participant arrived extremely shy and reluctant to contribute. Six weeks later, when asked what she was proud of, she wrote:

“I have learnt to... voice my opinions more.” It is a small sentence that captures much of what The Reef | Ākau wants to make possible.

Supporting Starfish to create more accessible opportunities for young people has been Sport New Zealand’s Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa funding, administered in the Waikato region by Sport Waikato.

The funding has helped purchase physical activity equipment for The Reef | Ākau, including a bike, ski erg, treadmill and rower. But importantly, the decisions about what to purchase were shaped by the people who will use the space.

Paris says the team thought carefully about what would feel easy and less intimidating for a young person who had never worked out before.

That approach reflected what Starfish had heard directly from young people. Their surveying identified finances, transport, access and simply feeling comfortable in a physical activity environment as barriers to participation. Young women also talked about the importance of having a safe, dedicated space where they felt they belonged.

Sport Waikato’s Regional Connectivity Coordinator (East), Rob Corkill says it is going to be a great asset to the community. 

"It's been really rewarding to see the positive impact it's having on people who face real participation barriers - and it's a great example of how funding can be targeted to support those who need it most, and really make a difference."

For Sport Waikato, supporting The Reef | Ākau through Tū Manawa funding is ultimately about helping remove some of those barriers and creating an opportunity for young people who may not otherwise find their place in traditional physical activity settings.

Starfish hopes that The Reef | Ākau can become a stepping stone to further activity - somewhere people can have a positive first experience, build confidence and, when they're ready, connect into local gyms, sport, physical activity and other support.

And while The Reef | Ākau opens its doors today, in many ways this is only the beginning.

Because ultimately, the success of The Reef | Ākau will be measured by the possibilities it opens up for the young people who walk through the doors.