New Zealand Youth Parliament
The New Zealand Youth Parliament is a national event in New Zealand, held once in each term of parliament. The event is used to promote the civic and community engagement of New Zealand youth. The event has been held since 1994, and takes place at the New Zealand Parliament Buildings. The latest Youth Parliament, the 9th Youth Parliament, took place on 16 and 17 July 2019.
Youth Parliament is an initiative led by the Minister of Youth Affairs, currently the Hon Peeni Henare. The Minister works with a committee of her Parliamentary colleagues to administer Youth Parliament.
The Minister receives support from the Ministry of Youth Development, who work closely with other agencies within the parliamentary complex including The Office of the Speaker, Parliamentary Services and the Office of the Clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives.
Former Labour MP Darren Hughes, who once held the Statistics portfolio and was the associate minister for Social Development and Employment, was a Youth MP at the first ever Youth Parliament in 1994. Hughes said in his maiden speech as MP that he was proud to be the first ever Youth MP to become the "real thing".
History
The New Zealand Youth Parliament was first held in 1994, being held to mark the 20th anniversary of the voting age being lowered to 18. The event was shorter than it is now, with young people coming to Parliament for an educational day. Due to the success of the event, Cabinet invited the Minister of Youth Affairs to continue holding the event every three or four years. Since then, the event has been held in 2013, 2010, 2007, 2004, 2000, and 1997.Event
The Youth Parliament takes place over two days, and is designed to be as similar to the actual running of Parliament as possible. The event is typically opened by the governor-general. The website of the Ministry of Youth Development says that Youth Parliament "is an opportunity for young New Zealanders to influence government decision-making as active citizens and have their views heard by key decision-makers and the public."Throughout the event Youth MPs take part in a variety of parliamentary activities. A mock bill is established and focused on, usually targeting an issue relating to youth or that youth can be involved in. Youth MPs work on various select committees and consider submissions, ask questions of Cabinet Ministers, participate in debates, come together in caucus sessions and experience various other aspects of Parliament. Youth MPs have an opportunity to meet actual Members of Parliament. Members of the Public can also watch mock debates in the debating chamber, as they would with a normal parliamentary debate.
As well as the Youth MPs, 20 youth press gallery members are chosen by the Parliamentary Press Gallery, and report on the event and running of parliament, similar to the actual press gallery.
The New Zealand Business and Parliament Trust runs a competition open to all Youth MPs and Youth Press Gallery members, which asks entrants to discuss the experience and what they have learned and taken back to their community. In 2007 this was an essay, and in 2010 entrants created a video. Prizes totaling several thousands of dollars are available to the winners.
Select Committees
During the event Youth MPs work on Parliamentary Select Committees. Each committee views and discusses submissions, and reviews related legislation. Each committee relates to a different subject. As of 2013, there were 10 Youth Parliament Select Committees. These are:- Social Services
- Health
- Transport and Industrial Relations
- Local Government and Environment
- Education and Science
- Commerce
- Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
- Justice
- Maori Affairs
- Primary Production
Selection and role
Around the Youth Parliament event, Youth MPs remain in the role for a period of time, and are expected to gain an understanding of the ideas and concerns of youth in the area. In 2013 this was from 1 May to 1 December, with the event being held in July, and during this time period the Youth MPs had the opportunity to work with their local communities and local MP.
Organisation
The organisation of Youth Parliament is overseen by the Multi-Party Parliamentary Steering Committee. A representative from each party represented in Parliament is invited to join the committee. The aim is to ensure non-partisan organisation of Youth Parliament as well as active participation by all parties, to ensure that the event is successful. The Ministry of Youth Development also works on organising and promoting the event., with the Minister of Youth Development being responsible for the event overall.9th Youth Parliament (2019)
The 9th Youth Parliament was held between the 16th and 17th of July 2019. The mock bill was the Sustainable Energy Bill, which debated introducing strong targets to move New Zealand to renewable energy alternatives and lower emissions.This term of Youth Parliament made headlines on multiple occasions. Most notably, a successful motion to declare a climate emergency was moved by Chloe Swarbrick's Youth MP. Swarbrick herself had unsuccessfully attempted to move the same motion herself in Parliament weeks earlier.
The event also made headlines after it was revealed that Deputy Speaker Anne Tolley had reduced Youth MP Lily Dorrance to tears after shutting down her speech on youth suicide as Dorrance was reading from her notes, which Tolley believed was against standing orders. Multiple Youth MPs raised points of order stating that this was not against standing orders as they believed there was no such rule. Dorrance later said she felt "humiliated", and Tolley subsequently apologised to both Dorrance and Speaker Trevor Mallard.
Later in 2019 but still during the tenureship of the Youth MP programme, three Youth MPs representing Chloe Swarbrick, Jan Logie and Golriz Ghahraman were ejected from Parliament's public gallery and issued with a twelve month ban from Parliament grounds after interrupting the proceedings of the house by loudly verbally protesting the government's position on the occupation at Ihumatāo. Swarbrick, Logie and Ghahraman later stated they disapproved of their Youth MPs actions.
7th Youth Parliament (2013)
The 7th Youth Parliament was held on 16 and 17 July 2013. The mock bill topic was Electoral Reform, with discussions about reducing the voting age, introducing electronic voting, making voting compulsory and extending the Term of Parliament taking place.Youth MPs 2013
List means the individual is representing a List MP, while Electorate indicates they are representing an Electorate MP.| Youth MP | List/Electorate | Electorate |
| Tama Abraham | Electorate | Te Atatū |
| Olivia Adam | Electorate | Clutha-Southland |
| Jack Alison | List | |
| Gul Agha Alizadah | Electorate | Ilam |
| Faaiu Anae-Tunai | Electorate | Māngere |
| Emily Anselmi | List | |
| Olivia Ashby-Cartwright | Electorate | Whangarei |
| Seamus Barnett | Electorate | Palmerston North |
| Jake Benson | Electorate | North Shore |
| Ellie Bishop | Electorate | Epsom |
| Monty Blackwood | Electorate | Whanganui |
| Kaukiterangi Blair | Electorate | Te Tai Tonga |
| Jillian Bleasdale | List | |
| Liam Booth | List | |
| Rosie Bowman | Electorate | Rimutaka |
| Eden Brown | Electorate | Waitaki |
| Jordan Brown | Electorate | Tāmaki Makaurau |
| Dean Buckley | List | |
| Courtney Buckman | Electorate | Rangitata |
| Daisy Cadigan | Electorate | Rongotai |
| Alexi Carlier | Electorate | Tāmaki |
| Amber Coates-Reid | Electorate | Mt Albert |
| Yanni Cowie | List | |
| Angela Curtis | Electorate | Auckland Central |
| Mark Davis | Electorate | Hamilton West |
| Hanna Deal | Electorate | Port Hills |
| Rugved Deshpande | List | |
| James Devereaux | Electorate | Waitakere |
| Peniata Endemann | List | |
| Jay Evett | Electorate | Hutt South |
| Michael Fryer | Electorate | Ōtaki |
| Corey Fuimaono | List | |
| Cian Gardner | List | |
| Kate Gardner | Electorate | Dunedin South |
| Rahul George | List | |
| Patrick Gerard | List | |
| Calum Gray | Electorate | Selwyn |
| Brad Grootelaar | List | |
| Jacinta Gulasekharam | Electorate | Rangitīkei |
| Samuel Hart | List | |
| Allanah Hartley | Electorate | Waikato |
| Cameron Haworth | List | |
| Ethan Hill | List | |
| Victoria Holyoake | Electorate | New Plymouth |
| Clementine Howe | List | |
| Annie Huang | List | |
| Michelle Huang | List | |
| Stella Ivory | Electorate | Taupō |
| Matthew Jackson | Electorate | Northcote |
| Prabhjit Johal | Electorate | Hunua |
| Injy Johnstone | List | |
| Zarna Jones | List | |
| Gursharn Kaur | List | |
| Shivon Kiew | Electorate | Pakuranga |
| Kristina Kim | List | |
| Eru Kapa Kingi | Electorate | Te Tai Tokerau |
| Andre Knops | List | |
| Jacobi Kohu-Morris | List | |
| Jake Lamkum | List | |
| Adam Lawton | Electorate | East Coast |
| Sarah Lee | Electorate | Rodney |
| Isabella Lenihan-Ikin | List | |
| Malinna Liang | List | |
| Callum Lo | Electorate | Tukituki |
| Georgina Lomax-Sawyers | List | |
| Lafoai Luaitalo | Electorate | Maungakiekie |
| Danielle Lusk | List | |
| Peter MacClure | List | |
| Raven Maeder | List | |
| Lewis Marchant | Electorate | Taranaki-King Country |
| Mungo Mason | Electorate | Tauranga |
| Emily McCarthy | Electorate | Bay of Plenty |
| Teaonui McKenzie | Electorate | Te Tai Hauāuru |
| Rachel McLean-Dewes | List | |
| Holly McNabb | Electorate | Waimakariri |
| Jesse Medcalf | Electorate | East Coast Bays |
| Kaya Miriau | List | |
| Emma Moffett | Electorate | Wigram |
| George Moon | List | |
| Bokyong Mun | Electorate | Dunedin North |
| Julia Musgrave | List | |
| Melania Napa'a | Electorate | Manukau East |
| Madeleine Nash | List | |
| Abbas Nazari | List | |
| Jessica Palairet | Electorate | Wellington Central |
| Ella Palsenbarg | Electorate | Papakura |
| Ebony Peeni | List | |
| Jaleighquar Rahiri | Electorate | Ikaroa-Rāwhiti |
| Thomas Rees | List | |
| Hart Reynolds | List | |
| Mark Robilliard | Electorate | Rotorua |
| Danielle Rolls | Electorate | Napier |
| Tom Rutherford | List | |
| Chris Ryan | Electorate | Botany |
| Patrick Savill | Electorate | Nelson |
| Samantha Scahill | Electorate | Northland |
| Tim Shiels | List | |
| Jessica Sinclair | Electorate | Wairarapa |
| Anchal Singh | List | |
| Simarjit Singh | Electorate | Mana |
| Charm Skinner | Electorate | Hauraki-Waikato |
| Caitlin Smart | List | |
| Samuel Smith | Electorate | Invercargill |
| Samuel Stead | List | |
| Sara Sterne | Electorate | Kaikōura |
| Jack Stringer | Electorate | Christchurch Central |
| Ashley Stuart | Electorate | West Coast-Tasman |
| Jacinta Taliau'li | Electorate | Manurewa |
| Henry Thompson | List | |
| Michelle Too | Electorate | Ōhariu |
| Teri Tuuau | List | |
| Anikka Walker | List | |
| Kura Waller | Electorate | Waiariki |
| Brooke Waterson | Electorate | Helensville |
| Cameron Webster | Electorate | New Lynn |
| Bridget White | List | |
| Oliver Wilding | Electorate | Hamilton East |
| Amy Williams | Electorate | Coromandel |
| Madeleine Williams | List | |
| Hannah Yang | Electorate | Mt Roskill |
| Alex Zorn | Electorate | Christchurch East |
6th Youth Parliament (2010)
The 6th Youth Parliament took place on 6 and 7 July 2010. The mock bill focused on creating a single age of majority, that would make a single age for different activities to become lawful, such as drinking, driving and voting ages.Youth MPs 2010
List means the individual is representing a List MP, while Electorate indicates they are representing an Electorate MP.| Youth MP | List/Electorate | Electorate |
| Thoraya Abdul-Rassol | List | |
| Seina Abera | Electorate | Mana |
| Sylvie Admore | Electorate | Helensville |
| Nadia Ali | Electorate | Pakuranga |
| Portia Allen | List | |
| Jordan Anderson | Electorate | Napier |
| Tihema Baker | List | |
| Phoebe Balle | List | |
| Callum Bell | List | |
| Rawiri Biel | Electorate | Hauraki-Waikato |
| Ella Borrie | Electorate | Waitaki |
| Emily Bowden | Electorate | Clutha-Southland |
| Hazzel Brown | List | |
| Tay-Jana Brown | Electorate | Taupō |
| Jill Campbell | Electorate | Wellington Central |
| Benjamin Carpenter | List | |
| Joseph Chamberlain | Electorate | Christchurch East |
| Lynn Chen | List | |
| Billy Clemens | Electorate | Christchurch Central |
| Allanah Colley | List | |
| Andrew Coutts | List | |
| Justine Crabb | List | |
| Denise Matariki Cribb | Electorate | Waiariki |
| Katya Curran | List | |
| Mark Currie | Electorate | Dunedin North |
| Lincoln Dam | Electorate | Te Atatū |
| Sarah Darroch | List | |
| Cory Dixon | Electorate | Bay of Plenty |
| Lorna Donnelly | List | |
| Kerri Duthie | Electorate | Papakura |
| Amanda Eggers | List | |
| Talia Ellison | Electorate | Dunedin South |
| Roberta Faitele | Electorate | Manurewa |
| Tessa Farley | Electorate | West Coast-Tasman |
| Kieren Gera | Electorate | Ōhariu |
| Hayley Gilchrist | List | |
| Amy Halligan | Electorate | Kaikōura |
| Anna Hamer-Adams | Electorate | Palmerston North |
| Lisa Hansen | Electorate | Wairarapa |
| Neelam Hari | Electorate | |
| Joshua Harvey | Electorate | Mt Albert |
| Michael Hawley | Electorate | Hamilton East |
| Carolyn Henry | Electorate | Northland |
| Benjamin Hingston | List | |
| Camilla Holmes | Electorate | Waikato |
| Kelsey Illing | List | |
| Cameron Jacob-Sauer | List | |
| Caleb Jago-Ward | Electorate | Ōtaki |
| Nathan Jones | Electorate | Wigram |
| Vishakham Joseph | Electorate | Whangarei |
| Shail Kaushal | List | |
| Abbey Kendall | Electorate | East Coast Bays |
| Christopher Kennedy | List | |
| Ben Keren | List | |
| Brittany Kershaw | Electorate | Tukituki |
| Stuart Kruger | Electorate | Invercargill |
| Benazir Kumar | Electorate | Port Hills |
| Hannah Lai | List | |
| Freeman Lambert-Ehu | Electorate | Hamilton West |
| Meaghan Li | List | |
| Danielle Lucas | Electorate | Tauranga |
| Emma Lucas | Electorate | East Coast |
| Harry Lusk | List | |
| Amelia MacDonald | List | |
| Danielle Maclean | Electorate | Auckland Central |
| Alasdair MacLeod | Electorate | Rongotai |
| Thomas Maharaj | Electorate | Hutt South |
| Siale Mann | Electorate | North Shore |
| Alice Markie | Electorate | Northcote |
| Bethany Mathers | List | |
| Rory McCourt | List | |
| Jack McDonald | List | |
| Lydia McKinnon | List | |
| Edward McKnight | Electorate | Epsom |
| Javier Mihaere | List | |
| Kātene Morris | Electorate | Te Tai Hauāuru |
| Paige Muggeridge | Electorate | New Plymouth |
| Te Niiwai Mutu | Electorate | Te Tai Tokerau |
| Shameela Nassery | List | |
| Lisa Nyman-Ambrose | List | |
| Johny O’Donnell | List | |
| Sarah Oh | List | |
| Turei-Haamiora Ormsby | Electorate | Te Tai Tonga |
| Brittany Packer | List | |
| Vainga Pahulu | Electorate | Tāmaki |
| Rakaitemania Parata Gardiner | List | |
| Hineteariki Parata-Walker | Electorate | Ikaroa-Rāwhiti |
| Ben Porteous | Electorate | Rodney |
| Gareth Power-Gordon | Electorate | Taranaki-King Country |
| Natasha Pratt | List | |
| Cameron Price | List | |
| Rebecca Quansah | List | |
| Akash Rampal | List | |
| Georgia Robertson | Electorate | Rangitata |
| Timothy Robinson | List | |
| Marietalini Ropeti-Iupeli | Electorate | Māngere |
| Anna Rumbold | Electorate | Ilam |
| Sharanya Sankaran | List | |
| Fleur Schouten | Electorate | Nelson |
| Maxwell Scott | List | |
| Sunil Sharma | Electorate | Waitakere |
| Hannah Singh | Electorate | Selwyn |
| Monisha Singh | Electorate | Maungakiekie |
| Giovanna Sua | Electorate | Manukau East |
| Alexander Summerlee | List | |
| Tania Tapsell | Electorate | Rotorua |
| Tony Joseph Tautari | List | |
| Chelsea Torrance | Electorate | Rimutaka |
| Kataraina Tuatini | List | |
| Holly Tullett | Electorate | Waimakariri |
| Shruthi Vijayakumar | Electorate | Mt Roskill |
| Joel Walsham | Electorate | New Lynn |
| Jack Watling | List | |
| Eden Webster | Electorate | Tāmaki Makaurau |
| Kieran Welsby | List | |
| Shaun Welsh | Electorate | Rangitīkei |
| Robert Whitefield | List | |
| Caitlin Wiseman | Electorate | Coromandel |
| Joseph Xulué | Electorate | Botany |
| Jenny Zhang | List | |
| Jiaxin Zhou | Electorate | Whanganui |
| Rick Zwaan | List |
5th Youth Parliament (2007)
The 5th Youth Parliament took place from 8 to 11 July 2007. This was an extended period of days compared to previous years, as a trial to fit in more events and discussion. After 2007 Youth Parliament reverted to a two-day event.Youth MPs 2007
List means the individual is representing a List MP, while Electorate indicates they are representing an Electorate MP.| Youth MP | List/Electorate |
| Jade Emmanuelle Gray | List |
| Andreas Triandafilidis | Electorate |
| Pauline Robertson | Electorate |
| Michelle Nathan-TeAo | Electorate |
| Jordan Green | List |
| Jenny Suo | List |
| Alicia Gainsford | Electorate |
| Anna Meikle | Electorate |
| Kyla Wood | List |
| Lauren Kilkolly | List |
| Sam Brown | Electorate |
| Daphne Kalekale | List |
| Sophie Kalderimis | List |
| Nicole Slight | Electorate |
| James Sleep | List |
| Kushla Dunning | List |
| Jonathan Rowe | Electorate |
| Kimaya McIntosh | Electorate |
| Awhina Ashby | Electorate |
| Devon Sansbury | Electorate |
| Eddie Tuiavil | List |
| Lana Walters | Electorate |
| Vinnie Wylie | List |
| Kritika Satija | List |
| Holly Chase | Electorate |
| Brennan McDonald | Electorate |
| Ed Brownlee | Electorate |
| Steph Grogan | Electorate |
| Rink Tacoma | Electorate |
| Isaac Rayner | List |
| Gareth Veale | Electorate |
| Olivia West | List |
| Amy Pollard | Electorate |
| James Tawa | Electorate |
| Kate Willyams | Electorate |
| Shaun Kennedy | List |
| Amanda Hillock | Electorate |
| James Walkinshaw | Electorate |
| Kaitlyn Gulland | Electorate |
| Daniel Luoni | Electorate |
| James Barnett | List |
| Emma Jones | List |
| Richard Aiolupotea | Electorate |
| Seamus Woods | List |
| Zoe Donald | List |
| Mania Campbell-Seymour | Electorate |
| Annika Tombleson | Electorate |
| Chelsie Foley | Electorate |
| Kelly Im | Electorate |
| Johnny Crawford | Electorate |
| Elenoa Cook | Electorate |
| Sam Hannagan | Electorate |
| Anna Devathasan | List |
| Jason Larsen | List |
| Hope Puriri | Electorate |
| Ashleigh Kapi | List |
| Fale Lesa | Electorate |
| Nikkii Mott | Electorate |
| Jeffrey Burson | Electorate |
| John Kingi | List |
| Mariarna Te Tai | List |
| Joel Brown | List |
| Alannah Manson | Electorate |
| Elisha Watson | Electorate |
| John Brinsley-Pirie | Electorate |
| Noema Te Hau | Electorate |
| Lucy Child | Electorate |
| Ashley Brown | List |
| Jaz Morris | List |
| Sam Jackson | Electorate |
| Gwilym Breese | Electorate |
| Livi Hall | Electorate |
| Sandra Samuelu | Electorate |
| Kate Steel | List |
| Sam Abraham | List |
| Susannah Neild | Electorate |
| Ella Edginton | Electorate |
| Shaun Ritchie | Electorate |
| Richard English | List |
| Lara Delany | Electorate |
| Amy Coatsworth | List |
| Jessie Templeton | Electorate |
| Mareta Taute | Electorate |
| Jeff Carroll | List |
| Jen Smith | List |
| Matthew Neary | Electorate |
| Luke Craven | List |
| Alex Clark | List |
| Daisy Hunter | Electorate |
| Emily Legge | Electorate |
| Diana Mockford | List |
| Chuan-Zheng Lee | List |
| Philip Wiley | Electorate |
| Greg Bolton-Brown | List |
| Penny Tipu | Electorate |
| Natalie Gow | Electorate |
| Natalie Robinson | List |
| Dee Naidoo | List |
| Coral Panoho | Electorate |
| Saga Sifakula | List |
| Caitlin Grover | Electorate |
| Nick Mitchell | Electorate |
| Renée Cox | List |
| Nicky Dunn | List |
| Loren O'Sullivan | List |
| Robert Anderson | Electorate |
| Amelia Morgan | List |
| Kirsty Smith | Electorate |
| Sophia Johnson | Electorate |
| Shaun Wallis | Electorate |
| Kate Primrose | Electorate |
| Ngahuia Crossman | List |
| Ariana Emery | Electorate |
| Shelley Duffy | List |
| Emma Gin | List |
| Josh Dunn | List |
| Anas Sirajur Raheem | Electorate |
| Megan Matthews | List |
| Michelle Lee | List |
| Anna Lee | List |
| Jeny Cant | List |