Youth MPs Demand Better Support for Pacific Learners

By Liorah Jainarain, Youth Press Gallery, Youth Parliament 2025

Arunita Vaotuua, Jorja Simmonds, Hineātea Alexander and Kaiata Kaitao were among the 123 Youth MPs who gathered in Wellington this July, gaining firsthand insight into the inner workings of Parliament. They came from different corners of the country united by a common goal, to make sure Pacific learners are supported at every level of Aotearoa New Zealand’s education system.

Photo Caption: Arunita Vaotuua, Youth MP

For 17-year-old Arunita Vaotuua, being selected as a Youth MP is not just a chance to step into Parliament, it’s a deeply personal calling. Representing Hon Barbara Edmonds, the Labour MP for Mana, Vaotuua sees this rare opportunity as a platform to serve her community and the wider Pacific population whose voices she feels are so often underrepresented in political decision-making. Vaotuua describes Youth Parliament as a blessing, one she believes was placed in her path by God, not for personal gain, but to uplift others.

Raised in Christchurch before moving to Lower Hutt and now Porirua, Vaotuua carries her Samoan heritage with pride and purpose. She is a Year 13 student with ambitions to study medicine, a goal that, she says, is often met with hesitation or doubt from others. “The looks you get when you say you want to be a doctor, it says enough,” she shares. “There’s a mentality out there that we, as Pacific youth, can’t achieve much. But that’s not true.”

Through her ongoing school visits and engagement with youth groups in the Wellington region, Vaotuua has encountered a common theme among her peers: many Pacific learners feel that their potential is underestimated, not only by society but sometimes by the very systems that are supposed to support them. She notes that while the challenges are often discussed in terms of academic performance, the deeper issue lies in the mental and emotional space learners occupy.

She explains that without visible representation, cultural understanding, and genuine belief from teachers and peers, Pacific students struggle to believe in themselves. “It’s not that we don’t want to achieve, it’s that we often grow up in environments that make it hard to imagine success. There’s a mental barrier.”

Vaotuua’s focus for Youth Parliament centres on bringing these mental and cultural challenges into the conversation. She doesn’t just want to motivate others; she wants real change. By advocating for more inclusive support systems within education, better cultural training for educators, and pathways that empower rather than exclude, she hopes to help shift both the perception and experience of Pacific learners in Aotearoa New Zealand.

As Youth Parliament approaches, Vaotuua continues to visit schools and meet with 

students and community leaders, gathering stories and strengthening her understanding of the challenges Pacific youth face. More than anything, she is committed to being a vessel for their voices. “This isn’t about me,” she says.

“It’s about bringing people’s experiences to the decision-making table and making sure they are finally heard.”

Photo Caption: Jorja Simmonds, Youth MP and Chlöe Swarbrick MP/Supplied

For 16-year-old Jorja Simmonds, Youth Parliament is not just a platform, it's a calling to represent the real issues facing rangatahi / young adults, especially Māori and Pasifika students like herself and her peers. Representing Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick, Simmonds steps into this role with a powerful sense of purpose and a clear message: the current education system does not reflect, respect, or equip all students equally and that must change.

“From a survey that I conducted”, Simmonds shares, “many students feel as though our values, perspectives, and beliefs aren't respected in a school environment.” She says that while events like Māori, Samoan, and Tongan language weeks are positive, they are not enough. “People want a more diverse outlook in education,” she adds, one that goes beyond one-off cultural acknowledgements and actually embeds lived experience into curriculum design and classroom practice.

Simmonds believes practical change must begin with how teachers are prepared to work with Māori and Pacific learners. “I believe that Māori and Pasifika students aren't informed enough about scholarships and the different pathways provided for us”, she explains. “But I don’t blame school staff or leadership”. Her questions highlight a system-level gap that often leaves students of colour feeling unsupported and unseen something she is determined to change.

Outside the debating chamber, Simmonds is already active in her community. “I will attend a Matariki event with Chlöe and her team this coming Friday,” she says. Her school's feminism club is also launching a petition calling on Auckland Transport to change their safety protocols, a campaign that aligns with Swarbrick’s ongoing advocacy work. “Chlöe had a meeting with AT for the 16th, but it has just been rescheduled to August,” she notes, excited to continue pushing forward with youth-led policy engagement.

Although only in Year 12, Simmonds has fast-tracked her final year of school and already has her eyes set on a career in policing, a profession she sees as a way to serve and protect communities. Especially those too often marginalised by institutions. “This is my last year,” she says. “I’ll be doing a police force course, as this is something I aspire to become.”

Attending Auckland Girls’ Grammar, a school with a high population of Māori and Pasifika students, Simmonds witnesses daily how the system continues to fail many young people.  “I see my peers struggle with education every day trying to make their family proud, but with absolutely no support”, she says. “Systematic racism needs to end”.

For Simmonds, Youth Parliament is not just a learning opportunity, it’s a vehicle for justice. “Youth are often looked upon because we ‘lack experience’,” she says. “But I want the Ministry of Education to see our point of view and act on the concerns.” 

With a powerful voice and unwavering commitment, Simmonds is determined to be heard not just for herself, but for every young person who has ever felt their dreams were too big for the box they were placed in.

Photo Caption: Hineātea Alexander, Youth MP, and Hon Dr Duncan Webb 

For 17-year-old Hineātea Alexander, stepping into the role of Youth MP isn’t just a title, it’s a mission grounded in identity, justice, and the belief that young people deserve more than a seat at the table; they deserve to be heard and respected. “Youth voices need to be valued in politics and reformed,” she says. “At the end of the day, the people who inherit the future is the youth”.

Representing Hon Dr Duncan Webb, Alexander brings with her a strong personal connection to the issue of cultural representation in education and political spaces. As a proud rangatahi Māori raised in Christchurch, she’s all too familiar with how often Te Reo Māori is sidelined or minimised, even in the most basic of interactions. “One of the most common things I hear is, ‘I’m too old to pronounce your name,’” she says. “That’s the main issue; people don’t care about understanding the culture.”

Alexander believes that the education system has a vital role to play in addressing this disconnect. She’s calling for schools to place greater value on students’ cultural identities, not just through celebration weeks, but through everyday respect, inclusive curriculum design, and teacher training that equips educators to support diverse learners.

“I’d like to see people’s culture, language, and identity be valued and uplifted in schools,” she says.

In the lead-up to Youth Parliament, Alexander has been active in her community, attending the opening of the Court Theatre, baking with Hon Dr Webb, discussing the national budget, and attending a Matariki celebration on 28 June. These engagements reflect her commitment to seeing both the practical and policy sides of leadership.

She sees Youth Parliament as a platform for real impact: “I want to get a more in-depth look at the inner workings of politics, and work towards youth voices not just being heard, but also respected”.

Photo Caption: Kaiata Kaitao, Youth MP, and Teanau Tuiono MP/Supplied

For Kaiata Kaitao, becoming a Youth MP is about honouring her community, elevating Pacific voices, and advocating for a more inclusive education system. A proud Pacific learner and Head Girl at Te Kura Tuarua o Tamatea, Kaiata is determined to carry her community’s stories into Parliament.

On 30 May, she welcomed MP Teanau Tuiono and his staff to her hometown of Napier. “I got the opportunity to show them a few aspects of my community that deeply matter to me and, in turn, influenced my decision to become a Youth MP,” she says. Their day included visits to her school and a local art gallery, a meeting with Green Party candidate Nick Ratcliffe, and attending an open mic night where Kaitao performed as a guest poet.

She is particularly passionate about her selected Parliamentary Working Group (PWG) topic: “How could the education system improve the support it provides to Pacific learners?” As someone who has seen the difference cultural understanding can make, she knows this issue is more than academic; it’s personal. “My passion comes from the fact that I am a Pacific learner. The recommendations that come out of this PWG could have a tangible effect on my education, as well as the education of my communities.”

Kaitao believes education must be reformed to better meet the needs of Pacific ākonga/learners, starting with cultural responsiveness. “Many Pacific learners feel the system wasn’t designed with them in mind. This can lead to disengagement, truancy, and isolation from peers.” She highlights the importance of pastoral and cultural care, drawing on the Fonofale model, a Pacific framework for health and wellbeing. “Mental health, or mafaufau, is a pillar of our wellbeing. To support Pacific students, every part of that structure must be strong.”

Kaitao hopes to see increased cultural training for educators, stronger relationships between schools and their Pacific communities, and broader support for Pacific students pursuing diverse careers, from science and business to art and literature.

As she prepares for Youth Parliament, Kaitao hopes to represent her whānau and MP with integrity, in English Literature and Pacific Studies.

Photo Caption: Parliament Buildings

As Youth Parliament 2025 approaches, Vaotuua, Simmonds, Alexander and Kaitao exemplify the power of youth voices in shaping Aotearoa New Zealand’s future. They are not only influencing conversations about Pacific learners and education but also challenging the status quo with strength, clarity, and purpose. Watch closely on 1 and 2 July as these four young leaders bring their bold visions to the Beehive and help rewrite Aotearoa New Zealand’s story for generations to come.