'We need more voices': Asian Youth MPs call for diversity in politics
Photo:
Supplied / Nancy Lu
Youth MPs of Asian descent who participated in this year's Youth Parliament say more young people from diverse backgrounds should enter politics to help bring a richer tapestry of perspectives to the Beehive.
The Youth Parliament initiative, held every three years since 1994, offers young New Zealanders a hands-on opportunity to learn about the workings of government and engage with the democratic system.
Each sitting member of Parliament selects one Youth MP between the age of 16 and 18 to represent their community, with additional participants joining as members of the Youth Press Gallery.
This year, 123 Youth MPs were selected, with 23 - 18.7 percent - identifying as Asian.
John Robertson, general manager of the Ministry of Youth Development, said the percentage of Youth MPs from Asian backgrounds had increased significantly in recent years.
"In 2007, 8 percent of Youth MPs identified themselves as Asian," he said. "But by 2019, this had increased to 22 percent."
Eleven MPs of
Asian descent
now hold a seat in Parliament, representing the largest such cohort in New Zealand history.
While Asian Youth MPs welcomed the growing representation from their communities, several said broader diversity across Parliament remained essential.
Aanya Shukla
Photo:
Supplied
Sixteen-year-old Aanya Shukla, a student at Mt Roskill Grammar School in Auckland, was selected by Labour list MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan as her Youth MP.
Describing herself as a first-generation Indian New Zealander, Shukla said Asian communities remained underrepresented in Parliament.
"Off the top of my head, I know very few Asian MPs or actions that have been enacted by Parliament to directly benefit Asian communities," she said.
Shukla said she was proud of her Asian heritage and hoped her presence in Parliament would inspire more young people to engage in politics and make their voices heard.
"Youth are often labelled as 'disengaged' or 'uneducated' when it comes to politics," she said. "However, what many fail to realize is that we are all products of politics.
"The air we breathe, the food we eat, transport, education, opportunity - our entire livelihood is impacted by policy and the systems. Therefore, we all have the experience and responsibility. It's just about realizing and utilizing our voice."
Esha Ram
Photo:
Supplied
Esha Ram, a Year 13 student at Auckland's Waitākere College with Fiji-Indian heritage, was selected as a Youth MP by Green list MP Steve Abel.
Ram agreed that Asian communities remained underrepresented in Parliament - not only in numbers, she said, but in how their unique experiences were acknowledged and reflected.
"Often, our voices are drowned out or left out entirely from conversations around racism, identity and belonging," Ram said.
"For example, we rarely see honest dialogue about how Asian people fit into Te Tiriti-based conversations or the complexities we face navigating identity in Aotearoa."
Ram said Asian youth should recognize the power they held when speaking up.
"Asian youth grow up feeling like their voices don't matter or that speaking up isn't encouraged," she said.
"But I believe politics is fundamentally about expressing yourself, speaking your truth and standing up for your people.
"When we do that, we're not just participating - we're shifting the conversation and making space for others to belong."
Lucas Zhang
Photo:
Supplied / Nancy Lu
Lucas Zhang, a Youth MP selected by National list MP Nancy Lu, is a Year 13 student at Auckland's ACG Parnell College.
He said it was important to increase the number of MPs of Chinese descent in Parliament.
"As cliche as it might sound, we live in a democratic country," he said. "It's important to have MPs from a variety of backgrounds, including Chinese heritage.
"This way, we can better represent the different values in Parliament, not just political values."
Zhang said politics was not deeply embedded in Chinese culture and that there was often no clear pathway for political engagement within the community.
However, he hoped his representation could help encourage greater political participation.
"It gives young people a guiding light that politics isn't scary or an unattainable profession," he said.
"The Chinese community has a voice in Parliament. A loud and clear voice is important."
Mahant Agrawal
Photo:
Supplied
Mahant Agrawal, a Youth MP of Indian descent, agreed.
Selected by National MP Carlos Cheung, the Linfield College student from Auckland's Mt Roskill, said Parliament should reflect the growing diversity of New Zealand's population.
"New Zealand is known for its diversity," he said. "Governance isn't just dictated by locals; it also brings in the voices of other people.
"It brings together people from different backgrounds. You have people from Europe, India, China, Japan. All of them bring different opinions, backgrounds, knowledge and experience. I think that's where our strength lies."
Jerry Wei
Photo:
Supplied
Jerry Wei, a Youth MP of Chinese heritage, was born in China and raised in New Zealand.
He was selected by ACT list MP Karen Chhour, minister for children and for the prevention of family and sexual violence, as her Youth MP.
A student at New Plymouth Boys' High School, Wei said he had been interested in politics since 2020.
While he welcomed diversity in Parliament, he said a person's ideas mattered more than their background.
"As long as you stand for the same values - equality under the law, liberal democracy, a liberal society - it doesn't really matter to me what background you're from," he said. "As long as you stand for those common values that we all support."
Robertson said MPs selected the Youth MP they believed was best suited to fulfill the role.
"Every Youth MP brings value to the event, including those from Asian backgrounds," he said.
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