On Saturday 16 August, the WAYFYNDERS East space was transformed into the setting for a beautifully curated engagement dinner — delivered by members of the WAYFYNDERS youth team: Sienna, Pine and Hazel.

The brief was simple but meaningful: create a welcoming, island-themed evening for around 40 guests and ensure the event flowed smoothly from start to finish.

Working alongside programme lead Rouruina, the youth team supported menu planning, budgeting, and preparation of a buffet-style dining experience within a $40 per person budget. The final spread included island favourites such as chop suey, banana poke, pumpkin poke, seafood pasta salad and raw fish, alongside classic mains, salads and desserts.

Beyond the kitchen, the team helped coordinate an MC, live music and a photographer to capture the evening. On the day they managed venue setup, food preparation, service flow, guest support and pack-down — ensuring the event ran seamlessly from welcome through to the final farewell.

Experiences like this form part of the practical learning approach used across WAYFYNDERS programmes such as PAYRISE. By working on real events with real expectations, young people develop skills in hospitality, budgeting, logistics, coordination and customer service.

It’s learning that happens through doing — and moments like these show just how capable our rangatahi are when trusted with responsibility.