Jack's Next Mission For Māori Wards
Māori wards campaigner, 15-year-old Jack Karetai-Barrett, is not finished with his efforts to raise awareness about the need for Māori perspectives in local government.
He plans to take his and other youth voices about the importance of Māori wards to Parliament.
Jack walked and cycled to Tauranga and back during the latest school holidays to promote Māori wards, but on his return, said there was something else he wanted to do.
"I'm riding my bike to Wellington. My goal is to deliver a letter to Christopher Luxon explaining why Māori Wards matter,' Jack said.
He plans to leave Whakatāne on June 29, the first Sunday of the upcoming school holidays. 'I'll pick up letters from other kids on the way. I'm writing to schools and places now to ask them to help kids write letters.'
He has contacted the Prime Minister's Office to let them know he is coming and to request a meeting with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
It is not Jacks first journey to Parliament. At the age of 10 he was part of a group from Whakatāne who delivered a petition to the steps of Parliament to change legislation to allow councils to create Māori wards without the ability of the community to overturn the decision through a referendum.
His mother, Mawera Karetai, said he had never forgotten that experience, which had a profound impact on him.
'I didn't realise just how strongly that whole experience affected him. That sense of having some power to have change made.'
He plans to ask the Prime Minister to vote on his behalf because he is not yet old enough to vote for himself.
A bus load of people from Whakatāne will be travelling to Wellington to support him but most of the trip he will be making on his own.
Once his route is determined he will let people know what towns he will be in on what day so that people will be able to host him. He hopes other rangatahi will entrust him with letters expressing their hopes in regard to Māori representation in local government to give to Mr Luxon.
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