Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Youth MP for Manukau East selected

Jenny
SALESA

MP for Manukau East
12 October 2015 MEDIA STATEMENT

Youth MP for Manukau East selected

Jenny Salesa, MP for Manukau East, is delighted to announce 16-year-old Selena Gordon (Tainui) has been selected as her Youth MP.

Selena Gordon attends McAuley High School for Girls in Ōtāhuhu. She was selected by a panel of judges from three excellent finalists – Selena, Nabeel Mohammed (Papatoetoe High School) and Salvis Laurenson (Aorere College).

“It was a pleasure to hear from our three young finalists. All three are passionate about the issues their community faces and are thinking hard about how positive change could be made through community action and through the Parliamentary system,” Jenny Salesa says.

“Manukau East is very lucky to have such confident and intelligent youth leaders. I congratulate them all and their families and teachers.

“I was so impressed I have offered to mentor all three of them. I will also be establishing a Manukau East Youth Advisory Group to assist me and I have invited them to be founding members.

“I especially congratulate Selena and I welcome her as my Youth MP for Manukau East. I’m really looking forward to working with and mentoring her. She already has a great track record as a young leader and she displays a thoughtful understanding of the New Zealand political system and how young people could be engaged.”

“I look forward to working with her for the rest of the term.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Eight candidates had been nominated by Manukau East schools and completed a written process. This was followed by a 5-minute public speech about the issues facing Auckland in the next decade, as well as a question-and-answer session with the judges.

A Youth MP must be someone who is passionate about youth issues, politics and social change and is confident engaging with a wide range of people.

The 51st Parliament Youth MPs’ term will run from January to July 2016, starting with a training school and culminating in a visit to Wellington to take part in a Youth Parliament on 19 and 20 July 2016.

Youth Parliament is as close as possible to the real thing. Taking part allows young Kiwis to influence government decision-making as active citizens and to have their views heard by key decision-makers and the public.

--ENDS--

Editorial Notes

Selena Gordon has participated for many years in St John Youth, gaining her Grand Prior Award and being named District Cadet for Manukau and Clevedon in 2014. She commits time to volunteer work, including Women’s Refuge and as a coach at Clevedon football club. As a child she won a Youth Achievers’ Award and was taken to Parliament. Recently, she has made a conscious effort to understand more about her Māori heritage. She has competed three years running in Ngā Manu Kōrero, the national Māori Secondary Schools Speech Competition, in which she has placed as high as third. She is taking part in the Te Puawaitanga Wahine Trust programme for developing young women.


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.