Hon Aupito William Sio
Minister for Pacific Peoples

26 September 2018

MEDIA STATEMENT
Pacific youth encouraged to get involved in Youth Parliament 2019

“I want to see more Pacific youth raise their hands to apply to be part of the Youth Parliament 2019 and represent their local Member of Parliament”, says Pacific Peoples Minister Aupito William Sio.

“I’m encouraging more Pacific youth interested in politics to take the initiative and indicate their interest in becoming a youth MP. I’ve asked youth in Mangere to write me a letter outlining why they want to become my Youth MP, but they can be as creative as they want in approaching me or their own local Member of Parliament.

Youth Parliament 2019 will run from 1 March to 31 August, with a two-day event taking place on 16 and 17 July at Parliament in Wellington. The participant selection process will be run by individual MPs through to 19 October 2018.

“I want to grow Pacific leadership at all levels, and this is a fantastic opportunity for Pacific youth aged between 16 to 18 years to represent their local community and in the process learn about the workings of parliament and government decision making processes.

“My face-to-face engagements with Pacific people, especially in the regions, reaffirm time and time again that our population is young with 55% Pacific peoples under 25 years and fast-growing with a median age of 22 years compared with 34% under 25 years and a median age of 38 years for the total New Zealand population.

“Becoming a Youth MP is a very rare opportunity that will enable a young person to explore, develop and grow their leadership styles and the skills to profile issues that matter to them. A Youth MP is also an opportunity to explore how they can promote their dreams and aspirations for the future, and contribute to their local community.

“I encourage any interested Pacific youth to get in touch with their local MP and put their names forward for consideration for Youth Parliament. This exciting opportunity only comes around every three years, so make sure you get your applications in before the close of the deadline,” says Aupito William Sio.

For further information on Youth Parliament 2019, visit the Ministry of Youth Development website.

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