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Otago Daily Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Youth to take on Parliament
The complexities of government will be explored as youth prepare to engage with the political process. A group of young people nationwide have the chance to represent their communities as youth members of Parliament. The chosen participants will soon travel to Wellington to learn the workings of democracy before taking part in Youth Parliament on July 1 and 2. Four Dunedin youths will join 119 peers from around the country to form this year's Youth Members of Parliament, alongside 20 Youth Press Gallery members. Each Youth MP is paired with a local representative: Angus Noone with Mark Patterson, Zenah Taha with Ingrid Leary, Phoebe Ashdown with Rachel Brooking and Jomana Moharram with Francisco Hernandez. Phoebe Ashdown, a year 12 student at Otago Girls' High School, is excited to take part in the non-partisan process. ''I do debate and Amnesty [International] and I am involved with all that sort of stuff, so I just jumped at the opportunity.'' One key issue for her is access to mental health support. ''When it comes to mental health, a lot of it starts with stigma and not making it normalised in our society that youth can get mental health treatment.'' Accessibility and cost were two obstacles to securing psychological care. ''I think it is very expensive to get therapy.'' Availability was another concern. ''Frankly, having just a school counsellor is not cutting it. ''When you look at the numbers, it is not cutting it, there are still people struggling with mental health issues so I think that is clear to me that it is somewhere that I think needs change.'' Climate change presented another significant challenge, Phoebe said. Living in the coastal community of Blueskin Bay, she knew first-hand the problems caused by rising sea levels and erosion. ''I have seen that change happening in my own community.'' She had noticed sea-level changes over the past five years. ''So that is a big thing.'' Jomana Moharram is a second-year University of Otago student studying law and politics. She said young people could feel hopelessness and rage when striving for meaningful change. Reflecting on her generation's political engagement, she recalled that their first major protest was the school strikes for climate change. ''We all went out and we all protested and we thought 'the government has a responsibility to hear us, and we are going to go out there and we are going to make our voice heard'.'' However, that was not really what happened, Jomana said. ''You try to talk to a young person about politics now and a lot of people are receptive, a lot of people want to get involved in politics.'' The difficulty arose when young people felt the system did not serve them. ''When you have got uni students who for the majority are cold, hungry and just poor, then that is the reality. ''The system is not serving me, I don't have a stake in the system, I'm not going to engage with it.'' Jomana warned it becomes dangerous when youth disengage from the very system designed to deliver change. Both Phoebe and Jomana have been preparing for their journey to Parliament by talking with fellow youth to learn which issues matter most to them. ''For me, it is being the collective voice and not just saying what you want to say,'' Phoebe said. ''I'm not here to teach. I'm here to listen. I'm here to learn about politics. I'm here to learn about Dunedin's community and then take it up there and share that.'' @
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Youth Parliament 2025 Participants Announced
Press Release – New Zealand Government Minister for Youth The 123 Youth Members of Parliament and 20 Youth Press Gallery members officially announced for 2025 represent the best of New Zealand, Youth Minister James Meager says. 'Our Youth MPs come from a wide range of backgrounds, and each have their own unique story, bringing diverse points of view to Parliament and a fresh way of looking at the biggest challenges we face,' Mr Meager says. 'Youth MPs will now engage with other young people in their community to gather their ideas and bring those views to Parliament, while Youth Press Gallery members will be drawing attention to the issues the Youth MPs are working on and helping generate interest around what happens. 'They will then take part in the Youth Parliament on 1 – 2 July in the Parliamentary precinct in Wellington, experiencing first-hand what it's like to be at the highest decision-making table in the country.' Among the 123 Youth MPs selected by MPs to participate this year are Maevi Fleming (17) from Roncalli College in Timaru who has been nominated by Mr Meager as his own Rangitata Youth MP. Mr Meager says Maevi was someone who grew up in a similar background as he did, and who is now an advocate for a society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. Other talented young people taking part include Abby Plom (17) from Auckland, selected by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and representing Botany. Through her roles as School Student Representative and Chairperson of the Howick Youth Council, Abby says she's realised how important it is for youth to be represented and heard, and how much work still needs to be done to create a fairer, more inclusive community. Labour leader Chris Hipkins has chosen Ryan Grant-Derepa (17) from Upper Hutt as his Remutaka Youth MP. Ryan wants to advocate for better pathways into employment so every young person, no matter their background, has the chance to build a future they can be proud of. Youth Parliament also has its own Youth Press Gallery. Korus MacDonald (16) from Havelock North is the youngest Youth Press Gallery member selected for 2025. Korus says the role of the Press Gallery within our democratic Parliament is a key interest of his, and he's excited for the insights and learning experiences this opportunity will bring. 'Young people are our future, and it is fantastic we have youth who are passionate about causes that affect us all, both in and out of politics – and who have an interest in working to help make a difference. I encourage them to give their absolute best in every area,' Mr Meager says. 'I also want to acknowledge the members of the Multi-Party Reference Group in Parliament who've supported me in guiding Youth Parliament 2025, as well as the work of the previous Minister for Youth Matt Doocey for his advocacy in continuing Youth Parliament this year. I can't wait to see what our young people deliver at Youth Parliament 2025.'
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Youth Parliament 2025 Participants Announced
Minister for Youth The 123 Youth Members of Parliament and 20 Youth Press Gallery members officially announced for 2025 represent the best of New Zealand, Youth Minister James Meager says. 'Our Youth MPs come from a wide range of backgrounds, and each have their own unique story, bringing diverse points of view to Parliament and a fresh way of looking at the biggest challenges we face,' Mr Meager says. 'Youth MPs will now engage with other young people in their community to gather their ideas and bring those views to Parliament, while Youth Press Gallery members will be drawing attention to the issues the Youth MPs are working on and helping generate interest around what happens. 'They will then take part in the Youth Parliament on 1 – 2 July in the Parliamentary precinct in Wellington, experiencing first-hand what it's like to be at the highest decision-making table in the country.' Among the 123 Youth MPs selected by MPs to participate this year are Maevi Fleming (17) from Roncalli College in Timaru who has been nominated by Mr Meager as his own Rangitata Youth MP. Mr Meager says Maevi was someone who grew up in a similar background as he did, and who is now an advocate for a society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. Other talented young people taking part include Abby Plom (17) from Auckland, selected by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and representing Botany. Through her roles as School Student Representative and Chairperson of the Howick Youth Council, Abby says she's realised how important it is for youth to be represented and heard, and how much work still needs to be done to create a fairer, more inclusive community. Labour leader Chris Hipkins has chosen Ryan Grant-Derepa (17) from Upper Hutt as his Remutaka Youth MP. Ryan wants to advocate for better pathways into employment so every young person, no matter their background, has the chance to build a future they can be proud of. Youth Parliament also has its own Youth Press Gallery. Korus MacDonald (16) from Havelock North is the youngest Youth Press Gallery member selected for 2025. Korus says the role of the Press Gallery within our democratic Parliament is a key interest of his, and he's excited for the insights and learning experiences this opportunity will bring. 'Young people are our future, and it is fantastic we have youth who are passionate about causes that affect us all, both in and out of politics – and who have an interest in working to help make a difference. I encourage them to give their absolute best in every area,' Mr Meager says. 'I also want to acknowledge the members of the Multi-Party Reference Group in Parliament who've supported me in guiding Youth Parliament 2025, as well as the work of the previous Minister for Youth Matt Doocey for his advocacy in continuing Youth Parliament this year. I can't wait to see what our young people deliver at Youth Parliament 2025.'
