Some of the 143 youth who travelled to Wellington for Youth Parliament.
One-hundred and forty-three youth travelled to Wellington for Youth Parliament from July 1-2. This included 123 Youth MPs and 20 Youth Press Gallery. The energy was electric!
Chelsea Reti, born and raised in the Far North, mokopuna o Te Aho Matua, stood as my Youth MP. Reti, with our other tai tamariki (youth) of the North, came with their heritage, their culture and their communities, ready to participate and share their unique northern perspectives.
In Youth Parliament our representatives participated in working groups akin to select committees, addressing issues such as gambling harm, sport and recreation, te reo Māori and other critical systems and issues facing Aotearoa. For Reti, it was retirement income. These are important issues in our communities today and will be in the future. As our youth shared many times in Youth Parliament, today’s decisions will be inherited tomorrow.
Our Youth MPs also had the opportunity to ask questions of ministers and make general debate speeches in the House. For Reti, it was a question to Minister Louise Upston on the issue of child poverty, asking what measures the Government is taking to reduce child poverty in our communities – something very relevant for the Far North and rural communities.
There was a lot of coverage in the media of Youth Parliament, where our youth expressed concerns at the feelings of being censored in their general debate speeches. In liaison with officials and our youth, it was important to highlight the desire for our young people to express themselves authentically but also maintain safety, as matters such as privilege do not apply in Youth Parliament. The general debate speeches were fiery, passionate and on point, which brought local issues into national thinking.
Our youth are clear, articulate and understand what’s happening in their communities. Their speeches showed care for others and highlighted issues such as mental health and wellbeing, lack of access to services, poverty in communities, education, and equity issues for our most vulnerable. I am grateful to see such courageous young leaders coming through in the next generation, and hopeful for our future.
Off the back of our successful Youth Parliament, Reti and I took the opportunity to host a Youth Hui in Whangārei with the theme “Everything is Political”, inviting fellow Youth MPs, youth leaders and tai tamariki to come together.
With over 50 young people and whānau coming together from as far south as Tāmaki Makaurau to the Far North, we heard from our other present Youth MPs, Clay Blakeman (Youth MP for Northland) and Cohen Ace (Youth MP for Whangārei), as well as Chelsea Reti. We heard their experiences of Youth Parliament, how finding common ground on issues was their tikanga of working together in Youth Parliament – a takeaway for us as adults.
Guest speakers at our Youth Hui were: Whangārei Girls’ High School representatives, who recently won at the Northland Environment Awards for their work in environmental education; Pipiwai Youth Society, as rural youth coming together to host the Pipiwai Bombing Competition (and winning on the world stage!); Jodi Rameka speaking on her journey into leadership, to now represent young people in Whangārei District Council and other advisory boards; and Waikamania Seve sharing how her Toi Whakaari (NZ Drama School) class prepared and presented submissions to retain Māori wards before the select committee. It is a stunning array of experiences and demonstrations of youth leadership in the community.
Our workshops at the hui further highlighted that our youth are acutely aware of the challenges our community faces.
One issue is the lack of public transport, and how rural youth often can’t participate in regional activities due to this, along with insufficient funds.
Youth mental health and wellbeing again came through strongly as a serious concern for our young people – an enduring reminder for us all to care for those most vulnerable in our community.
Our young people have opinions; they are articulate and want to contribute. The challenge I heard very clearly was: how do the adults in positions of power open the pathway for youth to participate in a meaningful way? Our youth of today are strong and willing to step up if given the chance.
Young people want to be a part of decision-making and designing our future – as adults, are we willing to let them in, and resource their participation?