With every term of Parliament there is also a matching Youth Parliament. The next is in July 2021, with applications open now. We asked two former Youth MPs, now 'actual' MPs to remember their time at Youth Parliament.
Youth Parliaments 120 Youth MPs are each selected by a matching MP, from local applicants. To complete the set there is also a Youth Press Gallery and, this year for the first time a Youth Clerk of the House (the Clerk runs Parliament’s secretariat).
The Youth MPs meet at Parliament in Wellington during the mid-year break to debate and discuss issues in both the House and Select Committee. They sit, quite literally, in their sponsoring MP’s seats.
There are currently six former youth MPs in Parliament: National has Chris Bishop (Lower Hutt, List), and Labour has Kris Faafoi (Minister of Justice, List), Camilla Belich (Auckland, List), Steph Lewis (Whanganui) Tangi Utikere (Palmerston North), and Ayesha Verrall (Minister for Seniors, Food Safety, and Associate Minister of Health, List).
For more insight into the event The House chatted with MPs Tangi Utikere and Ayesha Verrall. They were both Youth MPs in 1997 in only the second Youth Parliament.
Why did they apply?
Ayesha Verrall was in 7th Form (year 13) in Te Anau, and Tangi Utikere in 6th form (year 12) in Palmerston North.
Fiordland was part of the then National MP Bill English’s Clutha Southland electorate and she came as his Youth MP. Tangi Utikere came as then Labour List MP Jill White’s.
It’s not like either of them foresaw becoming MPs. Ayesha Verrall says she followed current affairs and wanted to learn more about Parliament. “You get to see how Parliament works in a very practical sense, that you don’t get from watching the evening news.” It was also a good opportunity for a trip north.
Did she intend to become a politician? “Absolutely not, otherwise I wouldn’t have put so many years into being a doctor.”
Tangi Utikere recalls “rocking up” to the Milson Community Centre in Palmerston North for an interview with Jill White. He was interested in politics and community issues and she asked him why he would make a difference. He remembers it as an “opportunity not everyone got to experience.”
Labour MP Ayesha Verrall speaks in the debate on Conversion Practices Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
Memories of 1997
Tangi Utikere sat in the seat now occupied by Nicole McKee from the ACT party. Ayesha Verrall sat in a seat not far from her current one (Bill English was in government back then). Tangi Utikere was on the Health select committee (perchance the same committee he is a member of now). He remembers speaking on the issue of youth suicide - something just as important today.
Ayesha Verrall recalls getting to query the then Treasurer Winston Peters about the Government’s accounting for student debt as an asset. “Somehow he managed to wriggle his way out of my extremely perceptive question”, she says with a laugh.
She remembers the sense of occasion “in probably New Zealand’s grandest building, and very different from the prefabricated classrooms I spent most of my days in.”
“I remember that we had sessions in the House, but we also had time with Government ministers explaining what their job is; time with the Opposition, with the Office of the Clerk, and with the Press Gallery. You get a really good education in how democracy works.”
Labour MP Tangi Utikere in the House Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
Did they ever expect to be back?
Tangi Utikere went off to Massey to study history, political science and social policy before becoming a teacher. But didn't expect to return despite entering local body politics and becoming Deputy Mayor of Palmerston North. “I wouldn’t have thought, so many years later, that I would have been back sitting in one of those seats.”
I ask Ayesha Verrall whether her brief time in the House all those years ago made her less trepidatious coming back?
“I think we’re drawing a pretty long bow” she laughs, “that Youth Parliament got me here, but I guess there was just a vague sense of familiarity when you first stepped into the House, which was pretty cool.”
However, she sees that professionally she probably drew on the understanding she got from the event, “there have been things I’ve had to advocate for during my working life and some of those experiences were probably helpful.”
Tangi Utikere notes that it added some real experience to his teaching of Social Science units on parliament and politics.
Youth Speaker 2019, Rayan Lootah Photo: Parliament (screen grab)
How will they choose their own Youth MPs?
Tangi Utikere is asking for short videos and an essay from prospective Youth MPs. He has a community panel set up to help him with the selection. Yes, MPs take this seriously.
Ayesha Verrall is doing something similar.
She says “Youth Parliament is a learning experience so you don’t have to know everything about Parliament in order to be selected. But I am interested to know if you’re the sort of person who would take it back to your community in some way. To make sure that the lessons learnt here are helping the community engage with government processes and be part of democracy.”
I ask whether potential applicants’ political philosophies are important - are they looking for someone who thinks like them?
Tangi Utikere says no, “it’s about people who are passionate for their communities. ...I’d rather someone’s really passionate. ...I’m not bothered which political allegiance you might wear on your shoulder, or not.”
Ayesha Verrall isn’t sure whether she, at 17, could have articulated precisely what her political views then were but she reflects that she was selected by former National Party leader Bill English. “And I’ve landed in a very different place [from him]. That doesn’t matter. It’s about learning.”
Youth MPs in Select Committee, 2019 Youth Parliament Photo: Parliament (screen grab)
Last words
“You’ll meet a lot of people at Youth Parliament. It’s really fun. You’re not on your own having to perform like MPs do, so don’t be intimidated by it. If you’re interested, just apply.” - Ayesha Verrall.
Tangi Utikere draws attention to the Youth Press Gallery and the new Youth Clerk positions. “Yes there are members of Parliament, but there is so much more than that. …the way the programme has evolved, it understands it’s not just about MPs, it’s about the people that call this place their working environment and that’s really important.”
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Applications for the Youth MPs, Youth Press Gallery and Youth Clerk of the House are open now: for anyone aged 16 to 24 as of mid November. There is more info here on the Parliament website.
