Path Events

The Youth Mental Health First Aid course equips adults who teach, care for, work with, or support rangatahi and young people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to recognise, understand and respond to them experiencing a mental health challenge or mental health crisis. This 2-day workshop will cover a range of topics including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, psychosis, problematic substance abuse, non-suicidal self-injury, suicidal thoughts and behaviours, panic attacks, traumatic events and other situations.

FREE Parent/Whānau Group Coaching with Ali McCormick. These groups will be a mix of  FREE face-to-face and online coaching sessions designed for small groups of parents seeking support, strategies, and community connection.

There is also the opportunity to book one-on-one sessions with Ali (fees apply).

The Upper Clutha Wānaka Parent Whānau Survey has been designed to answer simple but important questions: What truly matters to you as a parent in the Wānaka | Upper Clutha region? What’s working? What’s missing? What’s next?

The survey is open throughout June 2026.

The Upper Clutha Wānaka Youth Survey is designed to help inform agency partners, caregivers and the community about the intentions and habits of our youth, as well as understanding the concerns held by both youth and caregivers.

Highlighting the adult-size problems faced by youth in our district helps us all better navigate the paths required to support them.

The survey is open throughout May and June 2026.

Otago Central Lakes is seeing an increase in young people presenting with eating disorders. In response, we’re bringing people together for an open, informed community conversation.

Path Wānaka, in collaboration with Upper Clutha Community Link, is delighted to host internationally respected resilience expert Dr Lucy Hone for two powerful events in April.

On Wednesday 22 April Dr Hone will present Thriving Through Challenge and Change: Lessons from Life, a community engagement evening sharing practical, research-informed insights on navigating adversity with strength and perspective.

On Thursday 23 April she will lead a dedicated half-day workshop for the social and community sector, How Will I Ever Get Through This?, offering evidence-based tools to better support people facing loss, crisis and profound change.

Help shape the questions and themes that matter most to our community for whānau to thrive.

Registrations for this event have now CLOSED. You can still have your say on the survey design – complete the questionnaire at the link below.

Dr Kris Taylor will provide a crash course for parents and those working with youth to understand the worldviews and ideologies young men are exposed to online, how masculinity influencers (e.g. Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, Sneako, Fresh and Fit and others in the ‘manosphere’) can affect young people, and key strategies to successfully engage in discussions with youth on this topic. If you’ve ever wondered how to discuss gender norms, sexism, harassment, misogyny, or pornography with a young person without alienating them, this evening is for you.

This evening hui brings parents together to reconnect with each other, in person, locally, and honestly. Open to parents of all ages and stages, this facilitated, interactive evening creates space to talk about what’s been hard, what’s helped, and how we can better support one another as a community. Whether you’re in the thick of early parenting or navigating adult children, you are welcome. The focus is on rebuilding local connections at a time when much of parenting support has shifted online. This is a practical, collaborative session — your voice helps shape what comes next.

• Facilitators: Ali McCormick, Gemma McCaw, Kirsten Roy
• Date: 23 February, 6:30-8:00PM
• Venue: Wānaka Community Hub, 34 McDougall St

FREE Parent/Whānau Group Coaching with Ali McCormick. These groups will be a mix of  FREE face-to-face and online coaching sessions designed for small groups of parents seeking support, strategies, and community connection.

Join us in Wānaka on 11 Sept for a powerful Cyber Safety Evening with Rob Cope. Learn how to protect your kids from online harm—bullying, predators, gaming addiction, and more. Free parenting course included in your ticket!

This Youth Mental Health First Aid course equips adults who teach, care for, or support rangatahi and young people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to recognise, understand and respond to them experiencing a mental health challenge or mental health crisis. This 2-day workshop will cover a range of topics including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, psychosis, problematic substance abuse, non-suicidal self-injury, suicidal thoughts and behaviours, panic attacks, traumatic events and other situations.

Facilitated by Karyn Munro Mental Health First Aid Aotearoa, & Te Hau Toka, this course is designed to educate and empower ‘adults’ working with rangitahi (young people) with the skills, knowledge and confidence to support their mental health.

Nest course planned for September 2025 – Interested?  Contact us 

Alongside our partners, CO-REAP, Path Wānaka is delighted to bring you an insightful and educational evening with leading neuroscience educator, Nathan Wallis.

We’re here to help bring the right people and experts to our community in support of our youth. If you have an idea for a great topic or speaker, let the team at Path Wānaka know.