Taipa's Labour Youth MP a teen with a mission

Labour list MP Willow-Jean Prime and her new youth counterpart Shiquille Duval.

Labour list MP Willow-Jean Prime has selected Taipa Area School student Shiquille Duval as her 2019 Youth MP.

Shiquille said she had put herself forward because she was passionate about working to bring about change in her community/hapū, particularly in terms of the damage being done by methamphetamine.

In preparing her application she had put three key questions to whānau, friends, school teachers, the wider hapū and professionals — What are your thoughts around meth? How harmful do you think meth is to whānau and what kind of impact do you think it has on whānau members? What support or help is needed within our community/hapū, or how do you think we as whānau can help our people?

She received 23 responses. Whānau said they recognised the harm methamphetamine was causing, and wanting change. Choosing the drug over core values in life, such as whānau, was "100 per cent harmful," she said.

"Our whānau, hapū and community want to see to support for those addicted to meth, including access to whānau support groups and solutions based on identifying as Māori and mātauranga. Teach our people whakaaro Māori. Ko wai koe. No hea koe.

"Māori have always had systems where if one of our own is lost we help them to find their way."

"Care for the user and their whānau as a whole, and listen to what people have to say." Her research had identified tamariki as a main priority.

"If the money is going on meth and there is no kai in the house, what sort of learning is going on for those kids?" she asked.

Shiquille said she wanted to be a Youth MP to help advocate for change because she cared and prioritised Te Tai Tokerau, where she had been born and raised.

Her tupuna had played a big part in the community.

"I have seen a lot of broken connections within people of our community," she said.
"I think it is important to have strong connections.

"I think I will be perfect to represent Te Tai Tokerau because this is a major issue in our community, and I would love to learn new skills and approaches within the parliamentary and government world that would support solving this issue."

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The Youth Parliament 2019 programme will run from March 1 to August 31, with 120 'MPs' and up to 20 Youth Press Gallery members attending a two-day Youth Parliament in Wellington in July.

The programme is designed to give young people the chance to actively work in and be heard on and issues they are passionate about.

They will submit potential topics to be discussed at the Youth Parliament, deliver projects, engage with the MP who selected them, connect with their peers to understand their views on topics to be discussed in Wellington and access other opportunities.

In July they will learn about parliamentary and government decision-making processes by participating in general and mock legislative debates, sitting on Youth Parliament select committees and asking parliamentary questions of Ministers.