About US

Vision
Children and young people thrive in a city that values ALL young citizens
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Purpose
To create a Christchurch where children and young people’s environments and everyday lives are actively influenced by their voices, needs, priorities and rights.

We believe that investment in Christchurch’s children and young people is the foundation for a thriving city and a prosperous future for Christchurch. It’s a great way to ensure that children are given the best possible chance to reach their potential and to become productive and fulfilled citizens. It provides a means of positively influencing where children live, grow, learn and develop.

We are a collective effort of government, local business, community organisations and Christchurch residents. Child Friendly Christchurch is truly an initiative in which everyone can play a part, working together to make Christchurch the best city for children and young people to grow up in. 

Why Should Christchurch be Child and Youth Friendly?
Children and young people use many services, but have little say in how things are run. Most importantly, children and young people are the only group of our society (other than some prisoners) that do not have the right to vote. This means their voices can be lost.
With the rebuilding of Christchurch, this is a prime opporunity to get things right for our future generations. If we get things right for children, the benefits are there for everyone.
We believe being a Child and Youth Friendly City will bring our community together to create tangible change for the future of Christchurch.
See also Why become a Child and Youth Friendly City

What is a Child Friendly City?

How does this link in with UNICEF?
The UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) provides a framework to guide communities to create child friendly cities.
Children and young people are citizens with an important part to play in our society and communities. Local authorities and communities are on the front line in many matters affecting children and young people, so need to ensure that policies and practice are child-centred. The Child Friendly Cities initiative is a global effort to enable cities to raise healthy, educated and participating children and youth.  Child friendly cities are places that work for everyone.Children and young people don’t vote and have no electoral influence, yet they have a major stake in the future of the city. Where and how children live, learn, grow and play depends on adults and the communities around them, who need to be well informed about children’s rights and views when making decisions. This is our opportunity to join an international movement of around 900 cities globally in making a real practical difference within our multicultural society.
Not only is Christchurch on board with registering and working to become a UNICEF NZ Child Friendly City, but also Whangarei, Wellington, Hutt City and the Waitematā Local Board are also making progress towards becoming child friendly cities.
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A Child Friendly City listens to the voice of children and young people, using their experiences and opinions to shape city and community plans.

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