Youth parliament > Press gallery > Overall Youth Parliament 2007 experience by Kim de Leijer

Overall Youth Parliament 2007 experience by Kim de Leijer

Youth Parliament 2007 was a time of firsts for me. My first time inside Parliament, my first time on the press gallery, my first time sleeping on a Marae and the first time I have done such long hours of work.

By Kim de Leijer

I flew into Wellington on Sunday morning full of anticipation and intrigue about the days to come. After the usual routine of flying into a new city I was shipped off to Parliament to begin the days proceedings.

What followed was the longest day of my life but one filled with interesting and new challenges. A political workshop with media experts kicked off my Parliamentary experience and I learnt the ins and outs of being on the Press Gallery.

The rest of the day was spent meeting the 121 Youth MPs, eating, watching a Powhiri, rubbing shoulders with politicians and eating again. By the end of the day I was exhausted and I ended up staying at Tapu te Ranga Marae with a whole bunch of other participants in Youth Parliament. This in itself was a cultural lesson as I had never stayed on a Marae. I didn’t get much sleep but I learnt some traditional Maori practices and was privy to yummy kai.

The following days were packed with activities I would have never otherwise done. I reported on a select committee on whether party pills should be illegal, followed a fiery debate on general issues, listened to politicians being challenged by the Youth MPs and watched the majority of Youth MPs vote against the legislative bill on climate change.

All of them allowed me to practice listening, reporting, writing and of course my journalism shorthand. But it wasn’t all work and no play. Much of our time was spent eating and socialising with Youth MPs, many of which I can see gracing Parliament halls in years to come. A couple of Youth MPs gained a lot of media attention in their time here.

Zoe Donald, daughter of the late Green MP Rod Donald, was constantly hounded by news crew for comment and Ed Brownlee made a name for himself when he said Phil Goff “slithered” to Palestine to “fondle” a terrorist.

History was also made in the chamber when Youth MP Katherine Steel told the Government to “stop f**king with our future”. It was the first time the swear word had been said in the history of the chamber.

As a Press Gallery we enjoyed a trip to Zeal and Istanbul for dinner where conversation turned to towels, beavers and “number 2’s”, not to forget a vocal demonstration from John the singing alarm clock.

Youth Parliament 2007 was hard work, busy and at times frustrating. But it was also full of laughs, great people and memorable moments. It was also an amazing glimpse into the workings of the Press Gallery and Parliament.
I learnt lot, laughed lots and had a great time. Cheers.

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