A young voice stands for council

BRIGHTEN UP: Prospective Carterton district councillor Rebecca Vergunst, seen here helping give Carterton buildings a fresh coat of paint, hopes to focus on "brightening up" the township.-

When Rebecca Vergunst returned to her home region after university, stressed by job hunting, she didn't imagine she'd been running for council a few short years later.

The part-time youth worker has confirmed she is standing for a seat on Carterton District Council -- hoping to bring a young person's energy and fresh ideas to the community she grew up in.

At 22, Rebecca is the youngest candidate by at least two decades, and is one of the youngest prospective councillors to stand for election in the district.

She will be running against incumbent councillors Ruth Carter, Jill Greathead and Russell Keys, and newcomer Brian Deller.

Rebecca, mum to 11-month-old Malia, said she was inspired to run for council after working with young people at the Rangatahi to Rangatira (R2R) youth group -- and noticing a gap between the older council representatives and Carterton's burgeoning young population.

"Carterton is a family town -- people come here to bring up their kids," she said.

"But, in council, the younger generation is missing.

"I remember the last election, looking at the voting booklet, and thinking there was no-one who represented where I was at -- a new graduate, trying to find a job in my hometown.

"On council, I want to provide that youth perspective."

Rebecca, the second of eight children, grew up in Carterton, where she attended Ponatahi Christian School.

She studied International Relations, History and English Literature at Victoria University, hoping to train as a secondary school teacher. After teaching English in China, she and husband Josh returned to Wairarapa in 2013, as he landed a farming job.

Rebecca, however, struggled to find work.

"There was hardly anything out there -- I didn't get a single interview."

With time on her hands, she began volunteering with the Alternative Education programme at the Wairarapa Safer Community Trust. There, she met youth development co-ordinator Deborah Davidson, who employed her as a part-time facilitator for R2R Carterton -- set up to help youth contribute positively to the community.

Since then, Rebecca has lead the youth group in several volunteer projects, including beach clean-ups, graffiti art, ki-o-rahi tournaments, and organising careers expos.

She said working with youth is challenging, but "you're guaranteed to have fun".

"Young people generally like to sleep in and watch movies, so it can be hard to get them to volunteer. Plus, people don't always have a great view of youth -- but they're just asking for respect and understanding.

"They're in a testing period in their lives, and R2R is about helping them make good choices."

If elected, Rebecca hopes to focus on environmentally friendly initiatives and on making Carterton more attractive to visitors.

Youth unemployment and disengagement from local government are also areas of concern.

"A lot of younger people don't think local government is relevant to them, so they're not turning up to vote. Having someone on council who thinks like them, is open to change and doesn't necessarily cater to tradition may get them more involved."

Rebecca said she isn't bothered to be running against older, more experienced candidates.

"I don't pretend to have the life experience they do. But a council is a team, and everyone has strengths."