03-07-2025
Youth Organisations And Youth MPs Call For Change After Censorship At Youth Parliament 2025
Today, Youth MPs, youth organisations, and youth councils from across Aotearoa have released an open letter expressing deep concern about recent decisions made at Youth Parliament 2025 that they say restricted and censored rangatahi voices.
The open letter highlights the cancellation of live-streaming, the removal of the mock bill and Lived Experience Groups, and the editing of Youth MP speeches as decisions that, while varied in form, all resulted in the same outcome: limiting the power and authenticity of youth voice in a space meant to uplift it.
'This kōrero was driven by Youth MPs,' says Lincoln, Make It 16 member and Youth MP, 'We've simply supported them to share what many were feeling. This is part of a wider systemic pattern of youth voices being filtered or dismissed in political spaces.'
' Young people are not a token presence. We deserve to be present where power is held not just for appearances, but because our lived experiences and insights matter,' says Youth MP Ruby Love-Smith, 'This is a moment to reflect and do better.'
'Even though the feedback on speeches was framed as optional, the way it was delivered didn't acknowledge the power imbalance,' says Sam, Make It 16 member and Youth MP. 'For many of us, especially for those new to this space, it felt like there was no real choice but to comply. That's not how you build confidence in young people, that's how you make them doubt themselves.'
' We want to work alongside MYD, Parliament, and others to ensure Youth Parliament truly lives up to its purpose, ' says Thomas Brocherie, Co-Director of Make It 16. 'This year's Youth MPs showed just how capable and committed young people are, delivering powerful speeches on issues like mental health, education, Te Tiriti, and climate change. But the decisions made around Youth Parliament left many rangatahi second-guessing themselves in a space that should have encouraged confidence rather than caution.'
Make It 16 emphasises that this open letter is not an attack on any political party, public servant, or the Ministry of Youth Development, but a call for a commitment to genuine youth representation that reflects the real voices and aspirations of rangatahi across Aotearoa.
In an email sharing the open letter to MYD, Make It 16 has said, 'We stand in solidarity with the Youth MPs who had the courage to speak up as their voices deserve to be heard. We hope this can be a turning point, and we hope this open letter is taken as an invitation to work together.'
The open letter outlines four key calls to action for future Youth Parliaments:
Restore live streaming and ensure public access to speeches.
Reinstate Lived Experience Groups and the Mock Bill process to reflect diverse youth experiences.
End pre-speech censorship, especially of real-world issues.
Embed rangatahi-led design and accountability into all stages of Youth Parliament.
'This is a moment to reflect and improve,' says Thomas Brocherie. 'Because ultimately, this kōrero is bigger than just Youth Parliament. It's about how our democracy treats young people throughout these systems. We're inviting MYD and the government to work with us to create spaces like Youth Parliament that genuinely serve, support, and empower rangatahi to lead.'
