New research reveals impact of Adventure Therapy in youth development
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday 5 August 2025
New independent research has confirmed the impact of Adventure Therapy delivered by Waipuna Youth Services in Canterbury. The Social Impact Assessment, funded by Rātā Foundation, reveals consistent, long-lasting improvements in wellbeing, confidence, relationships and resilience in young people.
Waipuna has delivered Adventure Therapy in partnership with secondary schools across Canterbury for over 25 years. The organisation has also worked in partnership with the Department of Corrections Ara Poutama since 2013 to support young people engaged in the justice system to lead community focused lives that are free of violence, crime and drugs. This report is the first independent analysis of this experiential learning approach.
Sarah Hillier, Chief Executive Officer St John of God Hauora Trust, said “this research confirms what we see in the changing and changed lives of the young people we support. Adventure Therapy is highly effective across youth settings, and is shown to instil hope, self-belief, and an awareness of positive choices.”
Adventure Therapy is a foundational practice of Waipuna’s Youth Reintegration approach, that operated in partnership with the Department of Corrections from 2013 until 1 July 2025.
“We continue to advocate for effective community-based youth reintegration programme in our communities. Our independent research aligns with the types of effective community-based services referenced in the Inspectorate of Corrections thematic report on young people in prison.”
The report draws on interviews, surveys, and retrospective analysis of programme data. Among its key findings:
- Self reported big-huge impact in secondary school and youth reintegration participants in awareness of emotional state (80%), feelings of hope (78.1%), and social connection (78.6%);
- 100% of youth reintegration clients reported a big or huge impact on feelings of hope;
- 94.8% of youth reintegration clients reported major improvements in self-belief, decision-making, emotional awareness and relationships;
- 88.9% of young parents surveyed, indicated a big-huge impact on their hopes and dreams for their tamariki;
- Young people engaged in the justice system reported stronger results across all wellbeing domains compared with other groups.
The report also highlights a strong cultural foundation for the therapy approach. Values of manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga and whānaungatanga were embedded throughout the programme, with feedback indicating participants felt respected, supported and safe. One young participant described the transformation they experienced:
“Before I done the programme I rarely had respect for other people let alone myself, the way I spoke, how I reacted to things, my anger, frustration was all over the show but on the programme I learnt so much about myself and about other people that I feel like I became a better version of myself. Being surrounded by Waipuna staff has had a massive impact on the person I am today and I couldn’t thank them enough. I haven’t reoffended since I’ve been off the programme and I’m not going to again. They taught me that I am good enough and that I can achieve anything I put my mind to. I’m now working fulltime, I have my own house, I’m in a beautiful relationship with my partner, I see my son more than I did before I done the programme. I’m so grateful for taking part in the programme and I would do it again in a heartbeat just to experience it once more.”
A second phase of the research, focusing on social return on investment (SROI), is being developed and is expected to provide evidence of the economic and social benefits of long-term youth reintegration support.
ENDS
For media enquiries or to coordinate an interview, contact George Anderson, General Manager, Communications and Marketing, on [email protected] or +64 21 246 6884.