Mental health and biodiversity the focus of Mackay Thomson’s Youth MP tenure

By Cerys Gibby, Youth Press Gallery, Youth Parliament 2025

Photo Caption: Mackay Thomson, Youth MP

From being a part of the Head Student team at Kapiti College to serving as Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall’s Youth MP, Thomson is willing to work with others around him and make change in his community.

Thomson is approaching his tenure as a Youth MP with two main focuses: mental health, and biodiversity. “I’m a youth representative for Kapiti Youth Support, a youth one-stop-shop.” Youth one-stop-shops like Kapiti Youth Support are popping up across the nation, and provide clinical services as well as finance support, counselling, and sexual health services.

Focusing on mental health

“I’ve seen how effective Kapiti Youth Support is at dealing with the mental health struggles of local young people. Youth one-stop-shops have proven really helpful in supporting young people, especially in the mental health sector, and I don’t think they’re implemented enough,” Thomson says. 

As a result of his passion for mental health, Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall was the perfect MP for Thomson due to her extensive background in public health.

“It’s a great opportunity to gain knowledge from the health space and develop an understanding of how I can use politics and my voice in order to create better support systems for young people in our community,” Thomson says.

As Thomson progressed through his high school journey, he noticed just how many young people were struggling with mental health, particularly takatāpui / LGBTQ+ rangatahi / young adults. Kapiti Youth Support has been instrumental in helping these people through their struggles.

“I have lots of friends who have been seriously helped by Kapiti Youth Support. It really has become a cornerstone of the community. It’s hard to think what these people would be going through without it.”

Thompson has been made aware of all of the options available to young people through his experience in speaking with Kapiti Youth Support staff themselves.

“[The service] covers such a broad range of experiences. It’s helped me, it’s helped my friends, and it’s helped so many others. Whatever work I can do to support them is really important.”

Being a member of the Biosecurity Credits Parliamentary Working Group

Thomson’s passions aren’t just limited to mental health, however. Throughout his tenure as a Youth MP, he’ll be working as a part of the Biodiversity Credits Parliamentary Working Group.

Alongside his peers from across Aotearoa New Zealand, they’ll be exploring the possibility of economic tools as a way of environmental action.

“We’ve really got an opportunity here to help develop a framework for helping tackle the loss of biodiversity in our country.” Thomson is largely interested in how the concept of biodiversity credits can incentivise businesses to create positive change, rather than punish them. In his Kapiti Coast community, climate-conscious youth are plentiful. Every year, the local youth council hosts a climate summit. Thomson plans to engage these rangatahi/young adults who are concerned about the environment and inspire them towards a positive future.

So, what does Thomson think is the next step towards protecting our environment? Well, for one thing, he knows it can’t be done alone.

“Collaboration with iwi is really important.” He cites Mt Taranaki as an example of this being done well and thinks the applications of Mātauranga Māori in conservation should be utilised across the motu.

Thomson also believes that businesses, especially large ones, should have some level of responsibility, too.

“Incentives [such as biodiversity credits] are important, but we really do need to hold companies accountable. I don’t think that economic growth should be prioritised over protecting biodiversity. Protecting the environment will take time, and it will take money, but it’s something that’s really important.”

In Thomson’s engagements with his community, there’s a running theme. Thomson likes to help people, and that’s his number one priority in his tenure as a Youth MP.

“Any politician needs to remember that they are accountable to the people who elected them. Of course, I’m not a politician, but understanding the kind of responsibility you have in any position of leadership is vital in making sure that the people you’re trying to get better outcomes for really do get those outcomes,” he says.

With such strong passions propelling him into leadership, it’s no question that Thomson is going to have a massive and positive impact on his community.