Youth MPs told to remove criticisms of Government from speeches
Some Youth MPs have been told by the organisers of the Youth Parliament 2025 event to remove criticisms of the Government from their speeches.
Labour says the move is out of step with the spirit of the Youth Parliament, and risks further discouraging young
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RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Youth MPs accuse government of censoring them
politics youth about 1 hour ago Youth MPs are accusing the government of censoring them over changes to their speeches in Parliament. The 11th Youth Parliament is underway, drawing young people from all over the country to Wellington to debate and speak about what matters most to them. Some rangatahi say they were told to avoid criticising the current government, and feel let down by the process. But organisers insist the changes are just recommendations and suggestions. Giles Dexter reports.
Scoop
an hour ago
- Scoop
Youth Parliament Must Honour Rangatahi Voices
A group of youth organisations is calling out the censorship of young people at Youth Parliament 2025, where multiple decisions made by the Ministry of Youth Development (MYD) have undermined the kaupapa of authentic youth voice. Several youth MPs will meet Press on the steps of Parliament House at 1:15pm on Tuesday, 1 July to share their experiences and feelings on the censorship of rangatahi voices during this year's Youth Parliament. Multiple decisions made around this year's Youth Parliament have led to an environment that fundamentally undermines what is meant to be a space for young people to speak freely and confidently on the issues that shape their lives. This year: Live-streaming of Youth MP speeches has been cancelled. Lived Experience Groups, which previously allowed Youth MPs from minority communities to offer policy advice, have been removed. Youth MPs have been told they cannot clap, cannot walk out, and that all speeches must be reviewed before delivery. Youth MPs have also been told not to speak on key political issues like pay equity, voting rights, climate action and financial literacy, with parts of their speeches removed because these topics are supposedly 'too political.' 'Youth Parliament is meant to give young people a voice. But how can we speak up if we're told what we're allowed to say?' says Thomas Brocherie, Co-Director of Make It 16 and Youth MP for Lan Pham. 'Young people are constantly told to care, to participate, to raise our voices. But when we do, we're told to edit them. If Youth Parliament only allows voices that are comfortable for adults to hear, it's not youth voice at all. It's a performance,' says Ruby Love-Smith, Youth MP for Dr Tracey McLellan. "This isn't an attack on parties or politicians. It's a call for something deeper: real youth representation that isn't filtered or stage-managed. If rangatahi can't talk about our right to vote or the issues that affect us most in a space designed to elevate youth voice then what message does that send?' says Lincoln Jones, Make It 16 member and Youth MP for Willie Jackson (Labour Party). The feedback Youth MPs received after submitting speeches was often couched in positive language, encouraging them to 'consider' edits. But this framing misses the power dynamic at play wherein young people felt pressured to comply, afraid speaking honestly would create 'problems' or risk being excluded. 'We've been told to soften our language, drop key parts of our speeches, and avoid criticising certain ministers, as speaking out could 'cause problems.' That isn't guidance, it's control.' says Nate Wilbourne, Gen-Z Aotearoa founder and spokesperson, Youth MP for Damien O'Connor. We believe MYD has failed to uphold the kaupapa of Youth Parliament, a space that should respect rangatahi as capable of holding and voicing their own views on real issues that affect our lives, rights, and futures. Instead of leading by example, MYD is setting a dangerous precedent for youth engagement where youth voice is managed, not valued. These actions reflect a wider pattern of tokenism and disclusion that continues to disempower young people across Aotearoa. We stand in solidarity with the Youth MPs who've been sidelined and silenced. Their courage deserves to be heard. We call on Parliament and MYD to reflect on this moment and do better. We demand future Youth Parliaments: Restore livestreams and full public transparency. Reinstate Lived Experience Groups to reflect diverse voices. End speech interference and stop framing political awareness as political bias. Centre youth-led processes and accountability in the event's design and delivery. This is not just about Youth Parliament. It's about the wider issue of systemic exclusion. Rangatahi deserve to be respected as capable of holding and voicing their own views on real issues affecting our lives, rights, and futures. Young people are not here to perform — we are here to participate. This statement is co-released by: Make It 16 Gen Z Aotearoa SchoolStrike4Climate
Scoop
2 hours ago
- Scoop
Youth MPs Accuse Government Of 'Censoring' Them, Ministry Says Otherwise
The government is rejecting accusations it is censoring Youth MPs, saying the protocols followed are the same as 2022 and the young people get the final say on their speeches. However, the email sent to one Youth MP carries the subject line "changes required", and stated the ministry "have had to make some changes". Some of the Youth MPs involved say they will not be suppressed and the issue has fuelled the fire to make their voices heard. The Labour Party has criticised the approach taken after some Youth MPs were asked to remove parts of their speeches, because some of their speech lacked political neutrality by criticising "this government". Changes recommended included the removal of general mentions of the Treaty Principles Bill, funding for Māori and Pasifika, and Pay Equity. Speeches about "youth voice" and "freedom of speech" were also edited. In a written statement, Ministry of Youth Development general manager John Robertson said the same protocol had been followed as was used in 2022, and the feedback provided on the Youth MPs' speeches was "generally focused on supporting them to convey their arguments clearly and effectively, and in keeping with the non-partisan approach of Youth Parliament". "We also advised some Youth MPs that changes were required to their speeches to avoid putting themselves at risk. Youth MPs are not protected by parliamentary privilege. This means young people could be held liable if the contents of their speech raise concerns around defamation, copyright, privacy, contempt of court, or broadcasting standards. "However, as noted above, the final decision about what they say is made by the Youth MPs." Robertson said the ministry had in some cases told the Youth MPs "it is your decision around what your speech does and does not contain". "From here, it is your choice how you use [our] feedback. You are the one stepping up to speak and we fully respect your right to shape your speech in the way that feels right to you," it said. However, the email RNZ has seen did not include such a statement. The ministry confirmed it had provided feedback to "about half of the 80 young people who will deliver speeches", and that they were shifting from the approach used in 2019 and 2022 of livestreaming the speeches to instead sending the recordings to the participants after the event. This was "due to resourcing constraints... the participants are welcome to share this footage with others, and online", the ministry said. Minister for Youth James Meager said the speeches were not censored. "We do not censor the speeches of Youth MPs. We provide feedback, and in some cases suggest changes for them to consider, but we have been clear to all Youth MPs that they make the final decision about the content of their speech." He provided a written statement, much of which matched the ministry's statement word for word. However, the Youth MPs spoke to reporters at Parliament with one - Thomas Brocherie, a spokesperson for Make it 16, a group pushing for a voting age of 16 - saying the approach taken to the speeches was diluting the value of the Youth Parliament. "We have been told to not argue on either side of contentious issues such as the pay equity reforms or the Treaty Principles Bill for the excuse that they are current topics in the current Parliament. This is not just illogical, it is censorship," he said. "We cannot say we value democracy unless we actually show and prove we value democracy. Silencing the stakeholders of the future does not value democracy." Another Youth MP Nate Wilbourne, a spokesperson for Gen Z Aotearoa, said rangatahi were being silenced and censored. "We've been told to soften our language, to drop key parts of our speeches and to avoid criticizing certain ministers or policies. This isn't guidance. This is fear based control." Brocherie said the emails being titled "changes required" was "not at all a suggestion, that is blatant editing, they want us to change something to suit their purpose, to suit their agenda". Youth MP Lincoln Jones said they were provided with "a PDF of edited changes... delivered to our inbox, and that was the expected requirement, that we speak that speech". "It's honestly like they've gone through with it with a microscope to find any little thing that might be interpreted wrong against, I guess, the current government." Some of them sent responses to the ministry asking for clarification about the changes. "And what did we get? An automatic copy and pasted reply that is not at all in the principles of what Youth Parliament is," Jones said. "They claim to listen to us, they claim to want to uplift us, they send us an automatic copy and pasted response on the thing we have three minutes to speak about. That's not good enough." He said the experience had encouraged him even further to put himself forward to become an MP. "It honestly fuels that fire within me, and I think for all of us to put it out there and to make our voices heard."
