Latest news with #Re:News
1News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- 1News
Youth MPs claim censorship over Govt criticism in speeches
Some Youth MPs say their speeches are being censored if they are critical of the Government, but the Ministry for Youth Development says edits are part of normal protocol. Today is the first day of Youth Parliament 2025, an event that happens every three years. It involves every MP selecting a Youth MP to represent their spot in the House. But some Youth MPs allege they are unable to say what they think about topics currently discussed in Parliament, including the Treaty Principles Bill, changes to the pay equity system, voting rights and climate action. 'We've been told to soften our language, to drop key parts of our speeches and to avoid criticising certain ministers or policies. This isn't guidance, this is fear-based control,' Youth MP Nate Wilbourne told Re: News. Some Youth MPs say they're being censored if they are critical of the Government. (Source: Re: News) ADVERTISEMENT Eighty of the 123 Youth MPs chosen for this year's Youth Parliament were given the opportunity to deliver a speech in the Parliamentary chamber. The Ministry of Youth Development, which is responsible for running the event, said around half of those speakers were given feedback and suggested changes to their speeches. But Youth MP Thomas Brocherie, who is also the co-director of Make It 16, a group campaigning for the voting age to be lowered to 16, said all the speakers received an email from MYD with the subject line 'changes required'. He said this felt like 'blatant editing'. The Youth Parliament event is non-partisan, which means it is not aligned with or opposing any party in Government. Allegations of editing A previous sitting of the Youth Parliament. (Source: NZ Business & Parliament Trust) ADVERTISEMENT Nate Wilbourne, who founded youth organisation Gen Z Aotearoa, said his speech is about the 'war on nature' in which he wanted to call out Ministers Shane Jones, Tama Potaka and Penny Simmonds for their 'assault on te taiao'. He said when he submitted his speech to MYD, it was edited and he was told it 'lacks political neutrality'. 'In any functioning democracy, critique is not only allowed, it is essential. 'When your voices are edited to remove criticism, when ministers are shielded from being named, when we're told that our lived experiences are too political, that is not neutrality – that is protection of the status quo.' Youth MP Sam Allen said their speech included criticism of the Government's Pay Equity Amendment Bill. They said they received suggested edits from MYD on their speech but only some were explained. The line 'I have no idea where you find the audacity to label yourself as a progressive while campaigning for votes, and then cowardly march forward to cut women's pay for our most vulnerable workers' was cut without an explanation, Allen said. The group of Youth MPs also claim a speech about poverty was called 'too anti-rich" and a speech about freedom of speech was also edited. ADVERTISEMENT MYD says it's following protocol MYD general manager John Robertson said the feedback protocol for speeches has been in place since the last Youth Parliament in 2022. 'Our advice was generally focused on supporting them to convey their arguments clearly and effectively, and in keeping with the non-partisan approach of Youth Parliament.' He added: '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." Youth Minister James Meager said: 'We do not censor the speeches of Youth MPs.' James Meager (Source: Getty) ADVERTISEMENT 'We have been clear to all Youth MPs that they make the final decision about the content of their speech.' But the group of Youth MPs who have spoken out said MYD is in a position of power so young people feel pressured to comply with its suggestions. Meager said he's enjoyed the debates so far, which have been challenging to Government policy, and hasn't seen anything which concerns him in terms of censorship. Labour leader Chris Hipkins told Re: News 'the whole point of Youth Parliament is to give young people, who are often massively underheard, the chance to speak up". 'Asking them to censor their views just because they're critical of the Government is completely out of step with that spirit." Youth Parliament won't be livestreamed this year File image of the steps outside Parliament (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT The past two Youth Parliaments have been fully livestreamed, but this year's is not. MYD said this was due to resource constraints, and that parts will be recorded and shared with the Youth MPs after the event has ended. Youth MP Lincoln Jones said he remembers speeches from previous Youth Parliaments which have been controversial and thinks the lack of live streaming this year is to 'ensure that speeches that don't fit the narrative of this government are not getting out to the general public'. Thomas Brocherie remembers watching Youth Parliament live when he was younger. 'No 14-year-old is going to have that same excited feeling I did because they literally cannot see it,' he said. Youth MPs say they're no longer feeling excited about Youth Parliament While Meager said everyone is 'thoroughly enjoying' Youth Parliament, some Youth MPs said their excitement for the event has now fizzled out. Brocherie said it's 'sad and disheartening' to see Youth Parliament being 'used wrongly' and that his perspective on Youth Parliament has been changed as a whole. Allen said 'people have gone from what should be a really exciting event just feeling quite scared' that they might get into trouble for what they chose to say.
1News
05-06-2025
- 1News
‘Seen someone get their neck slit open' – what teens view online
"What's the craziest thing you've seen on social media?" That's the question Re: News asked teenagers, and the answers were extreme. Content warning: This story discusses graphic violence and death. 'Oh, I've seen someone get their neck slit open in a mall.' 'Lots of 9/11 stuff and people getting murdered.' ADVERTISEMENT 'I've seen someone get smashed with some knuckledusters straight to the head, and he is bleeding out of his brain.' Watch the full video here on TVNZ+ New research from the New Zealand Classification Office found the most common type of harmful content young New Zealanders are seeing is real-world graphic violence. Researchers spoke to 10 groups of rangatahi across Aotearoa and found it was difficult for them to avoid this content when it popped up on social media feeds, in group chats, or gets shown to them in person. The teenagers Re: News spoke to said they were only 10- or 12-years-old the first time they saw graphically violent content on social media. 'Algorithms are designed to keep you interested' Chief Censor Caroline Flora says young people generally don't go looking for extremely harmful or objectionable content but it can come up on their social media feeds because of algorithms. ADVERTISEMENT 'The algorithms are designed to keep you interested, they take into account who you are your age, your gender, your interests, but also your friends.' Chief Censor Caroline Flora. (Source: Re: News) When rangatahi do come across harmful content, Flora says it makes them curious. 'Curiosity can take you a long way in 2025, whereas not even that long ago, you would really have to go hunting for the worst of the worst online. 'Some of them also told us that they were quite keen to see where their line of tolerance was.' Chris Bowden is the director of educational psychology programmes at Victoria University of Wellington and says harmful content can have a range of impacts on young people. 'It can create anxiety. It can shape their ideas, their beliefs, their attitudes that can reinforce for them that the world is a scary, harmful, dangerous, awful place to live.' ADVERTISEMENT Teens told Re: News' Janhavi Gosai of their experiences. (Source: Re: News) He says if someone watches a lot of porn or graphic violence, that content might make them think those behaviours can solve problems in relationships. 'It can also contribute to isolation and withdrawal from friends and family because they've seen this content and they don't know how to talk about it with other people.' Parents worried TikTok's own research found half of New Zealand parents were worried about inappropriate content. It says it's got features to keep teenagers safe, including a family pairing option where a parent can connect their account to their child's, control screen time and limit the inappropriate content they see. Research commissioned by TikTok in 2025. (Source: Supplied) ADVERTISEMENT Instagram says it removes graphically violent content but allows 'sensitive content' to stay up, which can include depictions of violence - like people fighting. It has a 'Teen Accounts' feature which makes sensitive content less visible for 13- to 17-year-olds. To prevent harm, Chris Bowden says you need a 'multipronged approach'. 'Where it works most effectively is where young people and parents come together and negotiate a healthy use of media.' Watch the full video on TVNZ+
1News
28-05-2025
- General
- 1News
Why I'm reclaiming an indigenous name
As conversations around identity and culture gain momentum in Aotearoa, more Māori are choosing to reclaim ingoa whānau — ancestral surnames once lost, anglicised, or set aside through colonisation, migration, or necessity. For many, this act of reclamation is about more than just correcting documents. It's a powerful way to honour whakapapa. Re: News spoke to Tiaki Kerei (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa) and Te Rina Triponel Ruka (Ngāpuhi, Te Atiawa, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti) about what it means to reclaim a name — and the healing and homecoming that can come with it. Watch the full story on TVNZ+ Ruka ADVERTISEMENT Te Rina Triponel Ruka has made the decision to reclaim 'Ruka,' the whānau name from her grandmother's side, a choice that carries deep personal and intergenerational significance. 'My grandparents are part of the urban migration, you know, sold the idea of leaving their rural areas, their whenua, to move to the big city essentially, to put a roof over our heads and make money.' Like many Māori families who relocated during the urban drift of the 1950s-1980s, the pursuit of economic stability came at a cost - the severing of ties to whenua, reo, and tikanga. 'And with that came disconnection.' For Te Rina, taking back her whānau name is a form of reconnection - not only to her grandmother, but to the broader lines of whakapapa that shaped her. She says reclaiming the whānau name was a way to honour her tupuna and grandmother. 'When we think about reclaiming indigenous names, it's about having that sense of belonging.' ADVERTISEMENT The many paths of reclamation Ella Henry (Source: Re: News) Professor Ella Henry, director of Māori advancement at AUT's business school, says reclaiming an ingoa is part of a larger, layered journey of identity - one that looks different for every individual. 'Being Māori is a journey, it's a journey of reo, whakapapa and sometimes a physical journey home to a marae you weren't born around.' She acknowledges that the path back to one's ingoa is not always straightforward, nor does it need to be. 'I think there are as many diverse ways of reclaiming our ingoa as there are choosing whether or not to have a moko kauae.' There's no single 'right' way to reconnect, she says. ADVERTISEMENT 'Some people go home and they do it at home and they consult their kaumatua and kuia and some people don't, and that's all fine.' Tiaki Kerei Tiaki Kerei (Source: Re: News) Tiaki Kerei was born Jackie Grey, named after his late father. But his journey toward his Māori identity led him to embrace his father's Māori name, not just in tribute, but as a way to strengthen and revive his own sense of self. 'Part of a journey in life is to get truer to the essence of who you are.' In taking on the name Tiaki Kerei, he says he found not just a name, but a form of healing. 'It just occurred to me that my father's ingoa in te reo Tiaki Kerei would be an important step to revitalise myself. 'It helped me get through some rough times, it helped me deal with some mamae (hurt) that was intergenerational and... it's almost like I feel a korowai (cloak) around my shoulders.' Watch the full story on TVNZ+
1News
15-05-2025
- Health
- 1News
Learning about gender: Is it appropriate for school students?
Re: News asked recent school leavers and a high school teacher what they think about the proposed changes to sex education, which could mean students no longer learn about gender identity in their health classes. Watch the full video on TVNZ+ In 2020, Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) guidelines were introduced for teachers. They were an optional resource and included detailed information about gender identity and sexual orientation. One school leaver Re: News spoke to said some of the topics included in those guidelines 'could definitely be seen as inappropriate, especially at a young age'. Another said the topics should be taught at a young age and the Government shouldn't take that education away from kids. The guidelines were removed in March. ' If parents actually knew what was taught, then I think the stigma would go — Teacher Ben Rogers | In New Zealand First's 2023 election manifesto, the party said it wanted to 'remove gender ideology from the curriculum' when it negotiated its coalition agreement. While on the campaign trail that year, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the party was 'going to make sure we go back to teaching education and stop indoctrination". In March 2025, the guidelines were taken down from the Ministry of Education's website. The Ministry of Education is aiming to release a new health curriculum by 2026 and they're currently consulting on it. In April, a new RSE framework was put up, both for consultation, and as an interim support for teachers to use until the curriculum is released. Unlike the 2020 Guidelines, the new framework does not explicitly mention gender identity and only mentions sexual orientation in one section. The Ministry of Education says it's focused on making sure sex ed content is 'age-appropriate' and 'evidence-informed'. It says the RSE framework was made by its own experts, and that it looked at a range of international guidance while writing it, including guidance from UNESCO. ' We wouldn't be the kind of men we are today without knowing all these sorts of things — Recent school leaver | But UNESCO's guidance has a whole section on understanding gender, which says students should learn to respect people's unique gender identities and understand why transphobia and homophobia are harmful. Ben Rogers is a Year 9 and 10 health and PE teacher at Onslow College in Wellington who supports teaching students about gender identity and sexual orientation. 'I definitely think teaching that is appropriate for that age group, because it's at that time when they're starting to form their identity and their feelings around that,' he says. Ben says he teaches his students that gender identity 'is a thing' in the sense that some people don't identify with the gender they are assigned at birth. He says it's better for students to learn about these topics in a safe classroom environment, which helps prevent misinformation and skewed views from taking root. 'This isn't as scary as what people think it is. And if parents actually knew what was taught, then I think the stigma would go.' Watch the full video on TVNZ+
