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Waitakere Youth MPs for Chris Carter

July 2007

 

Compiled by Amanda Mitchell, Waitakere College

and Propey Samreh, Kelston Girls' College

The Youth Parliament: What’s it all about

The fifth Youth Parliament met in Wellington in the second week of the school holidays. The objective is to give young people a chance to experience first hand how the New Zealand political system works. Youth MPs had the opportunity to express their opinions, compete in debates, communicate with Ministers and get an overall grasp of what Parliament isreally like. This was achieved over the three days.

There were 121 Youth Parliamentarians representing each MP in Parliament. Ten students made up the Youth Press Gallery. Their job was to report on the activities of the Youth MPs. There were 24 international observers from Fiji, Kiribati, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands and Tonga. They were present to gain an understanding of New Zealand’s Parliamentary system.

 

Who is Eddie Tuiavii

Who is Eddie Tuiavii Eddie Tuiavii was born on the 26th of February 1990 in Wellington. He moved to Auckland with his family when he was four years old. Eddie is currently a student at Kelston Boys’ High School where he was made Head Prefect in 2007. Eddie has been the student representative on his school’s Board of Trustees for the past two years. Eddie plans to study political science, law and music at Auckland University, a fitting choice as he comes from a very musical family and has shown during the Youth Parliament that he has an interest and passion for politics.

 

Day one

Day One On Monday 9 July, the Governor-General Anand Satyanand officially opened the Youth Parliament. When Parliament sat in the afternoon it began with Oral Questions to Ministers from a select group of Youth MPs. This was then followed by the General Debate where Youth MPs raised issues that they were concerned about. Some of the speeches had serious political messages, whereas others were more light-hearted. The debate became heated when Eddie Tuiavii and Northcote Youth MP Ed Brownlee clashed over the decision to send troops to Afghanistan but not to Iraq. They both expressed very different view points which soon had the chamber of Youth MPs alive. The Assistant Speaker Anne Hartley had to step in to calm down the Youth MPs. She reminded everyone about the rules and procedures of the House. The atmosphere made for a very intense and exciting start to the Youth Parliament, much like the debates between their adult counterparts. Amanda and Propey sampling Wellington’s café scene (photo)

 

Day Two

Day Two The Caucus lunch with the Labour Party was held at the Prime Minister’s residence at Premier House. This gave us the opportunity to mix and mingle with the leaders of our nation. The Prime Minister, Helen Clark, was present along with Finance Minister, Dr. Michael Cullen. Of course Chris was present and there were many other Labour MPs who happily chatted and took photos. Our Youth MP, Eddie Tuiavii began playing the piano which turned into a musical treat when a small group of singers joined Eddie at the Piano. This left everyone with a smile on their face and in happy mood. Later in the afternoon the Youth MPs were invited to Zeal, which is a youth facility based in central Wellington. We were entertained by the local Ukulele Orchestra with their own take on songs from bands such as The White Stripes. This was a chance for the Youth MPs to get to know each other away from the Parliamentary setting. The Ministry of Youth Development also had representatives who attended. They fitted right in by breaking out on stage in song. They encouraged us all to sing along too. Scotty, a representative from Zeal, gave a brief overview of Zeal’s achievements. The construction of a new youth facility similar to this one is due to start in Henderson. West is Best: The PM with the West Auckland MPs and Youth MPs at Premier House (photo)

 

Day Three

Day Three In Parliament the Chairpersons from each Select Committee reported back the decisions made by their Committee. The Chairpersons also gave a brief summary of each topic and how their group had gone about the process, some highlighting the overall enjoyment of being involved and others, acknowledging organisations who had submitted information and points of view to them. The Youth MPs were all thanked for their work and effort that they put into the process at the completion of all submitted and tabled reports. The Legislative Debate focused on householders’ response to climate change. Eddie, who was the 47th speaker, spoke about the need for all of use to take responsibility for our own actions. “Don’t be lazy…don’t whinge, don’t moan” be “accountable for your own actions.” His speech was well received by the other Youth MPs. He started his speech by using a number of multi-cultural greetings which reflects the diversity of the people in the Te Atatu electorate. Overall Eddie was a fine representative for the Te Atatu electorate, he spoke with great confidence. After the debate the Youth MPs voted on this bill. They voted by walking out of the “Ayes”, “Noes” or “Abstain” doorways in the chamber. The result of the vote was 53 Noes, 53 Ayes and 15 abstentions meaning the bill was tied and was not passed. Parliament concluded by the passing of three motions sponsored by Youth MPs, once passed the Youth Parliament was adjourned. All members stood and applauded the MPs, and Parliamentary staff for the support they had been given during their time in Wellington.

 
 
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