Latest news with #YouthMPs
RNZ News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
The value of Youth MPs put under a question mark
Photo: VNP/Louis Collins A former politician says change is needed to the Youth Parliament system if it's to stay relevant. MP-turned political commentator Peter Dunne says the scheme isn't just "a rag-tag collection of young people coming together for a couple of days to play at being MPs", but if the event is going to be taken seriously, more consistency is required around its processes. That's not the case at the moment, in everything from how the teens are selected to the quality of the mentorship they're getting. The tri-annual event usually passes under the media radar, but this year's event was overshadowed by what a handful of Youth MPs said was censorship of their speeches . Dunne says he could understand the intention behind the message from the Ministry of Youth Development, which asked some students to remove parts of their speeches where they lacked political neutrality, but the issue could have been handled better. In the end, none of the students were stopped from making their speeches, even if they didn't make the changes. Youth Parliament has been held every three years for the past three decades and is described by the government as, "a unique opportunity for young New Zealanders to learn first-hand about our democracy, influence government decision-making, and have their voices heard". In many ways it's like the real thing, with MPs selecting teens to represent them for a couple of days in Parliament where they debate, give speeches and discuss fictional legislation. Dunne says often the young adults outshine the older MPs. "The contrast has usually been between the impeccable behaviour of the youth MPs and the somewhat unruly behaviour of their adult counterparts," he says. The first Youth Parliament was held in 1995 and initially was just a couple of days. Now the programme has expanded, running from April to August and Dunne questions how much teens take out of those extra two months and 29 days. "And more importantly, what weight is attached to that? They've got no formal status in the community, so what role can they play?" he asks. Dunne says much of what the young aspiring politicians learn and do is dependent on the MP they are mentored by. "In some cases they won't do very much, in some cases the MP will work actively with them and assign them a particular project," Dunne says. There also aren't any rules around how MPs select their mentee. Some get applicants to write essays, this year David Seymour held an election, and Dunne says a couple just shoulder tap the kids of a mate. "The time is right to have a proper review into its function and purpose, including the role of the Youth MPs, how they're selected and what are reasonable expectations of them. "Because I think that with a much clearer focus the youth parliament can play a much greater role than it has done to date," Dunne says. Oscar Duffy, representing List MP Melissa Lee became interested in politics last year when his nan was in hospital. "She's a Māori lady and she didn't have the best experience ... so that was a pretty key driver in me being interested in what's going on. "Obviously there's so much tension between Māori and the Crown ... and that affects my family really directly," he says. Duffy agrees that the degree of mentorship varies. He spent substantial time working on projects in his community and in Lee's Mount Albert office but says others didn't have the same experience. "[Ministers] have no time right? Ministers are so busy, I roomed with Simeon Brown's Youth MP and he didn't really see Simeon a lot, if at all," he says. Duffy sees youth parliament as an opportunity for those interested in politics to get an insight into the system. He says everyone attending this year had a keen interest in advocacy and change-making, but he admits that at times some see their role as more important than it is. "There's just a lot of politically charged people in one room. "Putting them all in the same room is great and it gets everyone talking to each other and firing off really good initiatives ... but yeah I guess some of them do think they are a bit more important than they are which is a shame because they probably should be more important and have more of a say," he says. But if he could change one thing Duffy would raise the age bracket because he thinks 16 is too young. "Even just move it up one year, 17-19, so there's more first year uni students who have been through high school, who have seen the whole system," he says. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
RNZ News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Youth MP denies censorship
politics youth 32 minutes ago Youth MPs are pushing back against claims of censorship at Youth Parliament. Bryn Pierce spoke to Corin Dann.
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 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.
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.
