Hon Peeni Henare

Minister for Youth

1 March 2019

MEDIA STATEMENT

Minister for Youth and Chairperson of the Youth Parliament Multi-Party Steering Committee (MPSC), has today launched the six-month Youth Parliament 2019 Programme.

The programme runs from 01 March to 31 August 2019, and includes 120 Youth Members of Parliament and 20 Youth Press Gallery members attending a two-day Youth Parliament event in Wellington on 16 and 17 July.

“Youth Parliament is a collaborative cross-party initiative and I want to thank my fellow MPSC members for the input and guidance they have provided in the lead-up to the launch of the six-month programme. They have helped lay the foundation for the young participants to work on the subjects and areas of interest that they are passionate about,” Peeni Henare said.

During the two-day event, Youth MPs will sit on Youth Parliament select committees, attend caucus sessions, ask oral questions of Ministers, and engage in legislative and general debate in the debating chamber. The Youth Press Gallery members are provided with a unique opportunity to stretch their journalistic talents, while learning about the workings of Government from the perspective of the Press Gallery.

“Youth MPs will spend time over the next few months engaging in kōrero with other rangatahi in their schools and community, and designing and undertaking projects that are focused on issues most important to young people. This will see them well-placed to bring their peers’ perspectives directly to the heart of our democracy. Youth Press Gallery members have an important job to do in highlighting the issues and building interest among other young people around what happens throughout the Youth Parliament programme.

The MPSC is made up of one MP from each political party elected to Parliament and a representative from the Parliamentary Press Gallery. The Youth Parliament 2019 MPSC includes Hon Peeni Henare, Darroch Ball MP, Chlöe Swarbrick MP, Chris Bishop MP, David Seymour MP, and Stacey Kirk, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

Short biographies of each of the 2019 Youth MPs and Youth Press Gallery members are available on the Ministry of Youth Development’s websitehttp://www.myd.govt.nz/young-people/youth-parliament/index.html .

Notes for Editors

• Youth Parliament 2019 is organised by the Ministry of Youth Development, in collaboration with the Office of the Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, and the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

• Each Member of Parliament (MP) is asked to select a young person aged 16 to18 years to represent them and their community at Youth Parliament 2019, as a Youth MP.

• Additionally, Youth Press Gallery members, aged between 16 and 24 years, have been chosen by members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery to provide independent reporting of Youth MPs’ activities during their tenure.

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