Youth Parliament 2025 E-Newsletter - First Edition
Below are the articles written by the Youth Press Gallery members for the first edition of the Youth Parliament 2025 e-newsletter!
Note: Articles in this newsletter edition were produced by the Youth Press Gallery at various stages of the Youth Parliament 2025 programme. Accordingly, the content presented reflects the context and timing at the date of its original writing.
Articles
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Breaking barriers - The Youth MP fighting for the future of te reo Māori
28 July 2025In recent years, numerous barriers have inhibited the normalisation of te reo Māori, and its effects on our communities and rangatahi/young people only continue to intensify. Youth MP, Emma-Grace Yule, hopes to change that. -
AI, the environment, and debating: The many facets of Joshua Wang
28 July 2025Joshua Wang is a Youth MP based in the East Coast Bays electorate. He’s representing Hon Erica Stanford for Youth Parliament 2025, and willing to deal with some big issues. -
Banks Peninsula Youth MP Advocates for Carers Support
28 July 2025Ruby Love-Smith is soon going to bring the voices of her community to Parliament, calling for greater recognition and funding for unpaid carers across Aotearoa. -
Auckland Youth MP off to Fiji to distribute aid
28 July 2025The future is looking bright for Youth MP, Cecilia Lin. Lin, based in Upper Harbour, describes the time at Youth Parliament as exciting. -
Better infrastructure needed for regional communities to offset climate change impacts, says Havelock North Youth MP
28 July 2025Elenor Walsh is a Year 13 student who has been selected to represent East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick. She is a student at Woodford House in Havelock North. -
Selwyn College student speaks up for Auckland Youth at Parliament
28 July 2025Selwyn College student Mikaela Renner has long been involved in her Auckland community, from volunteering to organising charity events. Her dedication to making a difference is clear, and now she’s bringing that energy to Youth Parliament 2025. -
Collaboration and media literacy needed for better online safety
28 July 2025Youth MP and youth voice activist Aarthi Candadai speaks up on the lack of media literacy regarding Online Safety. -
Mental health and biodiversity the focus of Mackay Thomson’s Youth MP tenure
28 July 2025Aotearoa New Zealand is filled with a variety of complex issues affecting young people, but 17-year-old Mackay Thomson is ready to approach these challenging topics with the help of his community. -
Meet the young leader shaping Waitaki’s future
28 July 2025Youth MP Enya O’Donnell is turning her passion for civic engagement into real-world change for local youth. -
From Paddocks to Parliament: Olivia Kelly Brings Rural Youth Voice to Wellington
28 July 2025Kaipara ki Mahurangi’s Youth MP Olivia Kelly traded her gumboots for government benches when she represented her community at Youth Parliament this July. -
Epsom’s Youth MP puts the children first
28 July 2025Sylvie Macfarlane is no stranger to getting her hands dirty through community work. The 17-year-old Kristin School student was selected to be a 2025 Youth MP by Epsom-based Labour List MP, Camilla Belich. -
Youth calls for re-evaluation of members bill to protect under 16s from social media harm
28 July 2025Young leader and Youth MP Jasper Rhodes shares his concerns regarding online safety and education. -
Youth MP Aanya Shukla gets tired, but she never gets tired of it!
28 July 2025Aanya Shukla, Youth MP for Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan, shares about herself and Relationships and Sexuality Education in schools. -
"Don’t want my home to be forgotten” – Youth MP Aiden Mill
28 July 2025Mill is transforming the way we think about rural New Zealand. Representing Gisborne in Youth Parliament, he understands what it means to feel forgotten by decision-makers. -
Youth MP calls for stronger focus on te reo and Māori history education in rural schools
28 July 2025At first glance, Maevi Fleming seems like the kind of student who never stops. Z club president, Eco Youth leader, dancer, swim instructor, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and now a Youth MP. She carries both talent and purpose. -
Youth MP concerned about creating safer communities for women
28 July 2025Grace Foster is a Year 12 student representing Labour List MP Shanan Halbert. -
Youth MP passionate about creating more accessible mental health services for young people
28 July 2025Emmogen Mckay is a Youth MP selected by Rachel Boyak, the MP for Nelson. She is a Year 13 student who attends Nayland College in Stoke. -
Youth MP Wakefield-Otene is using her voice to help whaikaha rangatahi voices be heard
28 July 2025Napier’s Youth MP is giving local rangatahi/young people a chance to speak for themselves. -
Youth MPs Demand Better Support for Pacific Learners
28 July 2025As Youth Parliament 2025 was drawing near, four young leaders were preparing to step into the Beehive to amplify the experiences of Pacific learners across Aotearoa New Zealand -
Youth MP focuses on how government organisations can use sport to improve young people’s lives
28 July 2025Sixteen-year-old Sam Nicholls is excited to apply what he loves doing in his free time into making a positive impact for youth in New Zealand. -
Pressure is a privilege - it only comes to those who earn it
28 July 2025Collaboration, Oscar Nikau Thomas Duffy says, is the one-word answer to the question ‘How can government organisations use sport and physical activity to improve the lives of young people?’. -
Newlands College student brings community voice to Parliament
28 July 2025Newlands College student Sophie Blacklock is bringing her passion for people and community to the national stage as the Youth MP for Ōhāriu in Youth Parliament 2025. -
Youth MP Nikau Adams Profile
28 July 2025What is one quote you live by? Nikau Adams, the Youth MP for Jamie Arbuckle answers, ‘Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei. -
Youth MP Taiko Edwards-Haruru Profile
28 July 2025A Youth MP driven by a sense of purpose and duty to those left unheard, especially Māori and Pasifika. -
Youth MP Simone Bisschoff Profile
28 July 2025"I wanted to be an accountant because I liked math, but eventually, like most kids, I started to dislike math more and more." -
Youth MP honours her mum’s legacy through Te Reo advocacy
28 July 2025Te reo Māori wasn’t a language Sophie Dodunski grew up speaking, but in the quiet moments, walking her dog through still roads, on the edge of New Plymouth, or sitting with her grandparents just next door, it lingers in her thoughts like an echo.