Last month, I had the honour of representing our community at the New Zealand Youth Parliament in Wellington. Taking place once every three years, the Youth Parliament programme allows every member of parliament to select a young person (aged 16 - 18) to represent them and their community in Parliament. Selected as the Youth MP for Whangaparāoa by Police Minister Mark Mitchell, I joined, alongside Senior School students Sylvie Macfarlane, Haemish Hollings and Sabrina Liu, over 120 young leaders across Aotearoa stepping into the shoes of our MPs.

 

Sitting in Minister Mitchell's seat in the horseshoe, I was both humbled and inspired to witness the strength of others who spoke through lived experiences. Our cohort spoke about a range of issues - from mental health and rural health care to voting rights and nuclear energy.

 

I gave my speech on youth drug addiction in New Zealand, and the need for culturally sensitive mental health services to address generational patterns of vulnerability. Over the three-day event, I also served on the Gambling Harm select committee, engaged in question time with Cabinet ministers, and presented to government policy-makers.

 

The most powerful part of my tenure as a Youth MP has been connecting with other passionate young people determined to advocate for the issues that matter to them. For me, it was also a proud moment to see our school have the highest number of Youth MPs from a single school in this year’s cohort - I was very glad to have had so many familiar faces with me in Parliament.

By Cecilia Lin, Kristin Head Prefect 2024/25, Youth MP of Whangaparāoa, representing Hon. Mark Mitchell