Youth Parliament 2025

Background

Youth Parliament is an opportunity for young New Zealanders to learn first-hand about Aotearoa New Zealand’s democracy and to influence decision making.

Youth Parliament is a non-partisan process which was first held in 1994 to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the lowering of the voting age to 18. The first Youth Parliament was a short event that involved young people coming to Parliament for an education day.

Due to the success of the first event, in 1995 Cabinet invited the then Minister of Youth Affairs to hold a Youth Parliament every Parliamentary term, to:

replicate the Parliamentary process
involve as many young people as possible (before and after the event)
maximise the educational opportunities of the event
enhance Parliamentary public relations
make known the views expressed to appropriate policy agencies.

Youth Parliament 2025

Youth Parliament 2025 was a unique youth development opportunity for 143 young people from across Aotearoa New Zealand to experience the political process, learn about how government works and represent their communities as Youth members of Parliament (MPs) or participate as Youth Press Gallery members.

Organised by MYD, with support from the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives – Te Tari o te Manahautū o te Whare Māngai and other government agencies, Youth Parliament 2025 is providing young people aged 16-24 years with an opportunity to develop leadership skills, influence government decision-making, and have their voices heard.

Youth Parliament Two-Day Event and Orientation Day

Since the four-month programme began at the end of April 2025, Youth Parliament 2025 participants took part in a series of comprehensive training sessions. Orientation day took place on Monday 30 June and involved an introductory briefing, a pōhiri, and tours of the Parliamentary Precinct and He Tohu (National Library of New Zealand Exhibition).

Over the course of the two-day event, 80 Youth MPs made speeches during the general debate, and 19 asked oral questions of Ministers. The Youth Press Gallery members put their journalistic talents to good use by reporting on proceedings, while learning about the workings of Government from the perspective of the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

For the first time, all Youth MPs participated in 12 Parliamentary Working Groups (PWGs) focused on topics of interest, co-chaired by 24 Youth MPs. These allowed them to hear from topic experts, bring their views and those of other young New Zealanders to the table, and present their ideas to decision-makers. While Youth MPs were busy engaging with their selecting MP and undertaking community engagement with their peers, Youth Press Gallery members have been reporting on the work done by their assigned Youth MPs.

Parliamentary Working Group Findings and Recommendations Reports

To share their findings and recommendations with decision-makers, Parliamentary Working Groups (PWGs) produced reports which presented their findings and recommendations. Reports for each PWG topic can be accessed at the links below.

Note: while a report template was provided to support, PWG members were able to present their findings and recommendations through the approach of their choosing.

Youth Parliament 2025 E-Newsletter Articles - First Edition

Below are the articles written by the Youth Press Gallery members for the first edition of the Youth Parliament 2025 e-newsletter:

Article	Author
AI, the environment, and debating: the many facets of Joshua Wang	Cerys Gibby
Auckland Youth MP off to Fiji to distribute aid	Reuben Smith
Banks Peninsula Youth MP advocates for carers support	Josephine Lilley
Better infrastructure needed for regional communities to offset climate change impacts, says Havelock North Youth MP	Emma Westenra
Breaking barriers - the Youth MP fighting for the future of te reo Māori	Korus MacDonald
Collaboration and media literacy needed for better online safety	Taara Malhi
Epsom’s Youth MP puts the children first	Aleksandra Bogdanova
From Paddocks to Parliament: Olivia Kelly brings rural youth voice to Wellington	Yeonsoo Son
Meet the young leader shaping Waitaki’s future	Hope Florence Milo
Mental health and biodiversity the focus of Mackay Thomson’s Youth MP tenure	Cerys Gibby
Selwyn College student speaks up for Auckland Youth at Parliament	Sebastien Booth
Youth calls for re-evaluation of members bill to protect under 16s from social media harm	Taara Malhi
Youth MP Aanya Shukla gets tired, but she never gets tired of it!	Arshita Bhardwaj
“Don’t want my home to be forgotten” – Youth MP Aiden Mill	Arshita Bhardwaj
Youth MP calls for stronger focus on te reo and Māori history education in rural schools	Andrea McEntyre
Youth MP concerned about creating safer communities for women	Emma Westenra
Youth MP passionate about creating more accessible mental health services for young people	Emma Westenra
Youth MP Wakefield-Otene is using her voice to help whaikaha rangatahi voices be heard	Aleksandra Bogdanova
Youth MPs demand better support for Pacific learners	Liorah Jainarain
Youth MP focuses on how government organisations can use sport to improve young people’s lives	Emelie Wissel
Pressure is a privilege - it only comes to those who earn it	Emelie Wissel
Newlands College student brings community voice to Parliament	Sebastien Booth
Youth MP Nikau Adams Profile	Emelie Wissel
Youth MP Taiko Edwards-Haruru Profile	Emelie Wissel
Youth MP Simone Bisschoff Profile	Emelie Wissel
Youth MP honours her mum’s legacy through Te Reo advocacy	Andrea McEntyre

Youth Parliament 2025 E-Newsletter Articles - Second Edition

Below are the articles written by the Youth Press Gallery members for the second edition of the Youth Parliament 2025 e-newsletter:

Article	Author
Censorship censors the real issues	Taara Malhi
Daniel Matthews: Youth MP turning real struggles into real advocacy	Kyla Allen-Boyd
The future of philanthropic giving in Aotearoa: A conversation with Phoebe Ashdown and Kenahemana Hekau	Hope Milo
Gene technology and Aotearoa: What Youth Parliament had to say	Arshita Bhardwaj
Give us a voice, and we will speak	Taara Malhi
Hipkins' Youth MP calls for more youth employment opportunities	Hope Milo
"It's the system failing our future": Youth MP demands educational reform at Youth Parliament	Josephine Lilley
The local Youth MPs' message to the Selwyn District Council	Emelie Wissel
Make It 16 Co-Director involved in Youth Parliament	Cerys Gibby
Neeve Smith analyses voluntary nature credits market	Cerys Gibby
Prime Minister's Youth Parliament address receives mixed reviews	Emelie Wissel
Taonga placed on desks in coordinated protest at Youth Parliament	Josephine Lilley
The kids are alright: Meet the Youth MPs making philanthropy cool again	Hope Milo
Youth MP sheds light on the cost-of-living crisis at Youth Parliament 2025	Aman Khalid
Youth MPs urge the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha to create a "truly inclusive" environment for disabled/whaikaha learners	Aleksandra Bogdanova
Youth Parliament opens with robust debates and walkouts	Cerys Gibby

Youth Parliament 2025 Participants

Click on each young person's name to access their Participant Profile and learn a little more about these amazing young people!

Youth MPs

NAME	SELECTING MP
Aanya Shukla	Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan
Aarthi Candadai	Hon Nicola Willis
Abby Plom	Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Adi Shirlal	Paulo Garcia
Aiden Mill	Hon Jo Luxton
Angus Noone	Hon Mark Patterson
Ani Retemeyer	Hon Andrew Hoggard
Ankita Pilo	Joseph Mooney
Archie Crayford	Hon David Parker
Arden Morunga	Ryan Hamilton
Aroa Al Masri	Tim Costley
Arunita Vaotuua	Hon Barbara Edmonds
Bede McCullough	Hon Kieran McAnulty
Ben Coull	Hon Nicole McKee
Benjamin Kingsford	Hon Jan Tinetti
Brynn Pierce	Andy Foster
Cecilia Lin	Hon Mark Mitchell
Charbel Alboutros	Rima Nakhle
Chelsea Brown	Hon Simon Watts
Chelsea Reti	Hūhana Lyndon
Chris Proctor	Catherine Wedd
Clay Blakeman	Grant McCallum
Cohen Ace	Hon Dr Shane Reti
Daisy Feagaiga	Hon Marama Davidson
Daman Kumar	Ricardo Menéndez March
Daniel Matthews	Dr Vanessa Weenink
Daniel Zhao	Tim van de Molen
Delara Elavia	Hon Phil Twyford
Dilsher Kaur	Sam Uffindell
EJ Coffin	Hon Dr Megan Woods
Elenor Walsh	Dana Kirkpatrick
Elite Reti	Hon Peeni Henare
Emma Grace Yule	Reuben Davidson
Emmogen Mckay	Rachel Boyack
Enya O’Donnell	Miles Anderson
Esha Ram	Steve Abel
Faith Heke	Hon Willow-Jean Prime
Fletcher Brown	Cameron Luxton
Gayle Bain	Hon Dr Deborah Russell
Grace Foster	Shanan Halbert
Gustav Schwind	Hon Julie Anne Genter
Haemish Hollings	Tanya Unkovich
Hana Davis	Tākuta Ferris
Harriet McLauchlan	Stuart Smith
Harrison Ross Moreland	Mark Cameron
Harveer Talwar	Cameron Brewer
Hineātea Alexander	Hon Dr Duncan Webb
Holly Timmins	Hon Andrew Bayly
Hunter McKay Fairfax Heath	Todd Stephenson
Irfan “Cherry” Safin	Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan
Iris Ewart	Celia Wade-Brown
Isabella White	Hon Scott Simpson
Jake Higgins	Cushla Tangaere-Manuel
James Watson	Scott Willis
Jasper Rhodes	David MacLeod
Jermaine Del Mundo	Rt Hon Winston Peters
Jerry Wei	Hon Karen Chhour
Jessica Tupai	Tamatha Paul
Jomana Moharram	Francisco Hernandez
Jorja Simmonds	Chlöe Swarbrick
Josh Henderson	Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee
Joshua Wang	Hon Erica Stanford
Kaiata Kaitao	Teanau Tuiono
Keezia Broughton	Tangi Utikere
Kenahemana Hekau	Hon Carmel Sepuloni
Kupa Poihipi	Rawiri Waititi
Leonardo Fisher	Hon Shane Jones
Lily Foster	Dan Bidois
Lincoln Jones	Hon Willie Jackson
Louis McSporran	Jenny Marcroft
Lucas Zhang	Nancy Lu
Lucy Garner	Hon Nicola Grigg
Lucy Kilgour	Hon Paul Goldsmith
Lucy Trenberth	Hon Chris Bishop
Mackay Thomson	Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall
Madeleine 'One'one	Greg Fleming
Madina Sayed	Hon Casey Costello
Maevi Fleming	Hon James Meager
Mahant Agrawal	Dr Carlos Cheung
Mariah Wakefield-Otene	Katie Nimon
Maro Preston	Debbie Ngarewa-Packer
Marques Tominiko	Lemauga Lydia Sosene
Matthew Debreceny	Benjamin Doyle
Mele Akoteu	Arena Williams
Mikaela Renner	Hon Brooke van Velden
Nargis Girhotra	Hon Penny Simmonds
Nate Wilbourne	Hon Damien O’Connor
Neeve Smith	Mike Butterick
Nikau Adams	Jamie Arbuckle
Nydius Wilson	Hon Tama Potaka
Olivia Kelly	Hon Chris Penk
Oscar Duffy	Hon Melissa Lee
Patrick Coogan	Suze Redmayne
Payton Māata Matthews-Runga	Kahurangi Carter
Pererika James Bennett	Hon Todd McClay
Phoebe Ashdown	Hon Rachel Brooking
Renee Lloyd-Parangi	Takutai Tash Kemp
Ruby Love-Smith	Dr Tracey McLellan
Ryan Grant-Derepa	Rt Hon Chris Hipkins
Ryan Higgins	Hon Judith Collins
Ryder Miller	Hon Louise Upston
Sabrina Liu	Dr Parmjeet Parmar
Sam Allan	Dr Hamish Campbell
Sam Nicholls	Maureen Pugh
Sam Swallow	Hon Simeon Brown
Shriya Ganti	Hon David Seymour
Simone Bisschoff	Hon Matt Doocey
Sophie Blacklock	Greg O'Connor
Sophie Dodunski	Glen Bennett
Sylvie Macfarlane	Camilla Belich
Taiko Edwards-Haruru	Carl Bates
Tamorangi Clayton-Lake	Barbara Kuriger
Tanvi Upreti	Tom Rutherford
Tautalaleleia Sa'u	Hon Ginny Andersen
Te Ari Paranihi	Rt Hon Adrian Rurawhe
Te Atamihi Vivienne Papa	Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke
Terangitukiwaho Edwards	Mariameno Kapa-Kingi
Thomas Brocherie	Lan Pham
Thomas Richards	Laura McClure
Tom Xuyi Xu	Simon Court
Tyler Oroanu	Hon Jenny Salesa
Vashika Singh	Helen White
Zenah Taha	Ingrid Leary

Youth Press Gallery

NAME	LOCATION
AJ Muliaga	Auckland
Aleksandra Bogdanova	Christchurch
Aman Khalid	Auckland
Andrea McEntyre	Christchurch
Arshita Bhardwaj	Auckland
Cerys Gibby	Auckland
Emelie Wissel	Christchurch
Emma Westenra	Tasman
Hadassah Timo	Christchurch
Hope Milo	Auckland
Jason You	Wellington
Jonathan McCabe	Auckland
Josephine Lilley	Tauranga
Korus MacDonald	Havelock North
Kyla Allen-Boyd	Katikati
Liorah Jainarain	Whanganui
Reuben Smith	Christchurch
Sebastien Booth	Rakaia
Taara Malhi	Auckland
Yeonsoo Son	Auckland

Youth Parliament 2025 Participant Criteria

General Criteria

Young people needed to be able to manage the time commitment related to participating in Youth Parliament 2025. The programme runs from Monday 28 April to Friday 29 August 2025, with the two-day event taking place on Tuesday 01 and Wednesday 02 July in the Parliamentary precinct in Wellington. Orientation will take place on Monday 30 June 2025. The four-month programme allows young people from around Aotearoa New Zealand to actively work and be heard on topics and issues they are passionate about.

Young people currently living in Aotearoa New Zealand and aged 16 to 18 years (as at Friday 28 February 2025) were eligible to apply to become a Youth MP, while Youth Press Gallery members must be aged between 16 and 24 years (as at Friday 28 February 2025). All participants will receive training, pastoral support, and guidance along the way, and will be expected to comply with Youth Parliament 2025 protocols and behavioural expectations (including signing a Code of Conduct).

Specific Criteria for Youth MPs

Each MP ran their own application process to select a Youth MP and set specific criteria related to that. The How to Apply section below provided information on how to work out who your local MPs are and what their application process was.

Specific Criteria for Youth Press Gallery Members

Young people selected must:

be either a current student studying journalism, media studies, or communications, completing an internship or working at a media outlet, or a secondary school student with a strong and active interest in media
have an interest in New Zealand Parliament processes
have a strong interest in journalism as a career option
be committed to contributing their best, including preparing and seeking to publish articles on Youth Parliament 2025 and Youth MPs throughout the full tenure.

Youth Parliament 2025 Information Release

Following the Youth Parliament 2025 event, MYD received a number of Official Information Act requests. Due to the high public interest in the programme, and the large number of documents in scope of the requests, MYD has prepared a proactive release of information which covers the non-partisan approach MYD took to deliver the programme, guidance Youth MPs received regarding their general debate speeches or Oral Questions, and information regarding live-streaming activities in the House. An overview of documents included can be found here.

How to Apply to be a Youth Parliament 2025 Participant

All applications opened on Monday 03 February 2025 and closed at 12.00 noon on Friday 28 February 2025.

Youth MP Application process

Each MP ran their own application process to select a Youth MP. Young people who wanted to represent their community as a Youth MP needed to first work out who their local MPs are and what their application process is. Young people could find out more information about electorate and list MPs here and how to contact them, or they could check out their social media to see if they had announced their application process.

Youth Press Gallery Application Form

A panel selected up to 20 young people to participate as Youth Press Gallery members. To apply to be a member of the Youth Press Gallery, young people needed to complete the application form. The link to the online application could be found on SmartyGrants. The application form asked young people to provide a current Curriculum Vitae (CV), two examples of their work, an opinion piece on one of two topics provided, and two references.

Access to information was available in the following formats:

NZSL

NZSL videos related to general Youth Parliament 2025 Application Information and the Youth Press Gallery Application Form are available below.

Audio

Links to audio files related to general Youth Parliament 2025 Application Information and the Youth Press Gallery Application Form are available below.

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