Latest news with #MinistryOfYouthDevelopment
RNZ News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
E-mail to Youth MPs 'could have been clearer'
About half of the young people invited to learn how Parliament works were asked to remove parts of their speeches mentioning government policies. Photo: RNZ /Dom Thomas The Ministry of Youth Development has acknowledged the way it communicated with Youth MPs about changes to their speeches could have been clearer. Youth MPs representing coalition parties' MPs have also pushed back on the accusations of censorship from their peers. About half of the young people invited to learn how Parliament works by emulating the job of MPs were asked to remove parts of their speeches mentioning government policies, including pay equity and the Treaty Principles Bill. Some decried this as "censorship" . In a statement, Ministry of Youth Development general manager John Robertson said it was long-standing practice to review Youth MPs' general debate speeches and suggest changes. "We've looked through our correspondence and acknowledge we could have been clearer and more consistent in our language. The e-mail headers said 'General Debate Speech feedback - changes required' and the content of our e-mails went on to explain our feedback was just 'recommendations'. "We accept that this could have caused confusion." Since the accusations of censorship, the ministry has underlined that it was up to the Youth MPs what their speeches would contain and "we fully respect your right to shape your speech in the way that feels right to you". Some of the Youth MPs have done just that - vowing to deliver their speeches without the suggested edits. Robertson confirmed members of the Youth Press Gallery - assigned to emulate political reporters - also had their work checked by the ministry before being it could be distributed more widely. He said the Youth Parliament was intended to be non-partisan, and this was explained to participants from the start of their induction. "Both general debate speeches and youth press gallery contributions are moderated, and we may suggest changes. This is a long-standing practice with Youth Parliament." He reiterated the ministry's guidance was intended to ensure articles and speeches remained focused on policy rather than party, did not breach defamation, copyright, privacy, or contempt of court laws, followed principles of no naming, no blaming, no shaming, and made no false assertions or claims not backed by fact. On Wednesday, Youth MPs representing MPs from New Zealand First, National, and ACT held a press conference of their own, accusing campaigners for Make it 16 of hijacking Youth Parliament for their own politicking. "They knew the entire time they could do their speech. They're just stirring this whole thing up because they came here with an agenda," said Jerry Wei, Youth MP for Karen Chhour. He dismissed concerns the speeches had been censored. Bryn Pierce, Youth MP for Andy Foster, said some speeches that other Youth MPs disagreed with were disrupted by walk-outs or repeated points of order. "That is not an environment where Youth MPs can truly feel safe to share their voice," he said. The press conference ended up being joined by other Youth MPs, keen to debate each other on Parliament's steps. Benjamin Kingsford, Youth MP for Jan Tinetti, said it was a shame the debate about censorship was being reported on instead of the content of the speeches. "We've had amazing speeches about mental health, about sexual abuse, about the environment, about the economy, about all of these issues that actually matter to New Zealanders." He said the Youth MPs should acknowledge other people's opinions, and move forward together. Elite Reti, Peeni Henare's Youth MP, said he hoped young people would continue to have their say. "I think the main message on this Youth Parliament is that we have opinions. We're all going to disagree on certain things. Maybe we'll agree on other things, some fundamental things," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Youth MPs stand by original speeches in wake of 'politically neutral' row
one Youth MP says. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson The government is rejecting accusations it is censoring Youth MPs , however, some of the young people aren't buying its reasoning for making changes to their speeches. The Ministry of Youth Development says the changes focus on clarity, keeping Youth Parliament non-partisan and protecting them from legal risk with the final decisions left to young people. However, the email sent to one Youth MP carries the subject line "changes required", and stated the ministry "have had to make some changes". Labour says the government is undermining the whole point of the Youth Parliament which is only held every three years. Youth MP and Year 12 student Lincoln Jones, of Auckland, said they had received Standing Orders to follow but some Youth MPs were chosen to give speeches during the general debate in the House and these had to be submitted to the ministry. The Youth MPs were then sent speeches edited by the ministry's staff. "Things that were removed were things that criticise or spoke about existing legislation, government policy, government ministers." They were also told topics or questions to Ministers were not to be fact or opinion and had to be "politically neutral", leaving them wondering what they could talk about. "So there was a lot of unexpected rules and things in place that we did not see coming ... lots of the key content in our speeches had been cut because they did not fit I guess what the ministry was looking for." Jones who is due to speak in the House on Wednesday morning, said he will be delivering an unedited version of his speech and knew others intended doing the same. "We'll be speaking as the rangatahi of New Zealand." He said they all understood they had to abide by standing orders, however, all the changes that had been requested were changes that might have criticised the government. One of his friends was pushing for literacy programmes for young people but this had been deemed "anti-rich". Jones said the 123 Youth MPs represented diverse opinions from across the spectrum and did not speak with a single voice. "We thought we would have the freedom to be able to voice our own concerns and opinions and not be censored as such." Youth Minister James Meager said there was no censorship, instead the ministry was trying to ensure the Youth MPs were protected from any future social media abuse or legal problems. Speaking to Morning Report , he referred to two emails that had been sent as guidance to the Youth MPs, including one that had advised them they weren't protected by privilege, unlike current MPs. Asked if he had seen what had been redacted in the speeches, he said he hadn't but the Youth MPs he had heard on Tuesday had been "robust, they were challenging and they were direct and I thought they were all really good". He was worried some of the Youth MPs might say things that ended up online and exposed them to being "trolled online". Meager said the Youth Parliament was a taxpayer-funded initiative and the participants shouldn't be aligned with political parties. "There is no censorship ... ultimately it's up to them as to what they say ... and the ministry will continue to support them if there is any fallout from here." A wide range of views had been expressed by those who gave speeches yesterday and the young people were clear on trying to challenge existing policies, Meager said. Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins says it's against the spirit of Youth Parliament to have young parliamentarians censored. Hipkins accused the government of undermining the Youth Parliament with its instructions that it shouldn't be criticised and Ministers shouldn't be named. "Parliament is political and young people are entitled to be political as well. I think this is censorship and I think young people should be entitled to be free to say what they want within the confines of the law. "Censoring legitimate political debate completely cuts against the point of Youth Parliament." Labour leader Chris Hipkins Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Teenagers had received emails from the ministry headlined "Changes required" which would sound "very like a direction". Parliament doesn't hear from young people very much and they should be allowed free rein with the opportunity only given to them once every three years.
RNZ News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Youth MPs accuse government of 'censoring' them, ministry says otherwise
Some Youth MPs were asked to remove parts of their speeches. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson The protocols followed for this year's Youth Parliament are the same as previous years, the Ministry of Youth Development says after accusations of censorship. 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. Minister for Youth James Meager. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone 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 - said 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." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
