The twin cities of Napier and Hastings, 20 Km from one another, developed separate YMCA's over 100 years ago. Motivated by a Christian desire to provide fellowship for young men leaving the country to work in the towns. From the early 20th century until the devastating 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake the two YMCA's established themselves as modest but important community service organisations.
The 1931 earthquake levelled large parts of Napier and Hastings, killing over 300 and effectively putting the YMCA out of business for over twenty years.
Chronology 1890 YMCA established in Napier, calling itself the "YMCA of Hawke's Bay".
1910 YMCA established in Hastings.
1931 A major earthquake damaged both Napier and Hastings YMCA's. The Napier building was destroyed and the association bankrupted. The Hastings building was damaged and sold with the association going into recess. In the early 1950's the Hastings YMCA was re-established.
1955 Hastings YMCA started the Opoutama children's camp on the Mahia Peninsular.
1960 Hastings YMCA built a stadium in Railway Road.
1963 The Napier Police youth club transferred its assets to form a new Napier YMCA.
1967 Napier YMCA buys the Latham Street property, a former milk treatment company building.
1983 Hastings stadium and hostel sold to the Hastings City Council.
1985 Napier gymnasium moved from Dickens Street to the Latham Street building.
1991 Fire damages the Napier gym.
1994 Hastings and Napier YMCA's amalgamate to form the YMCA Hawke's Bay.
1997 The out of school care programme OSCAR is started.
1998 A full time childcare centre is started in the Latham Street Napier building. The Opoutama children's camp near Mahia is finally closed down.
Today the YMCA Hawke's Bay has its head office in a converted farm house on Pakowhai Road Hastings.
Last Update: 27 Sep 2006
We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities
Me whakahangaia hangaia e matou, i nga tamariki, i nga whanau, i nga hapori e
