Be the change

Leave your mark on the world

Getting vocal

Your voice is essential for the direction of New Zealand in the future. There are several pathways through which you have the power to talk about issues that are important to you, bring about change for the better and have a say in how the country is run and the government’s decision-making.

Some of the pathways to get yourself heard include:

Aotearoa Youth Voices Network

This network gives you a chance to connect with other young people who have an interest in influencing government and community decision-makers, including the chance to have your voice heard. For more info or to join, click here.

Local Youth Councils

If you want to make your city, town or community better for young people, get involved with your local youth council. For a list of youth councils and more info on this, click here .

Youth Advisory Groups

YAGs are groups of young people who provide input or undertake tasks for organisations, services, or projects related to young people. You can participate meaningfully in things that affect you and helping organisations and services to get it right when working with youth. For more info, contact Youthline on (09) 3766645 or free txt 234 to find out the nearest YAG to you.

Youth Health Councils (YHCS)

A Youth Health Council is a group of young people who identify, discuss and take action on key youth health needs for young people. They work together to identify, discuss and take action on health needs affecting young people.

Youth Health Councils address a wide range of issues; mental wellbeing, bullying, fitness and exercise, healthy eating and nutrition, peer pressure, stress, relationships, service gaps, youth rights and much more.

Social Networking

Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, email, online petitions and blogs are a great way to rally together others who agree with your cause, publish your point of view, raise awareness of an unrecognised issue, get support or donations for a cause or organise large protests. For more info on how to start an online petition, click here .

Voting

Did you know?!

New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote in 1893 after two decades of campaigning by Kate Sheppard and other women.

Why should I vote?

New Zealanders are lucky to live in a democracy where it is up to the people to vote into parliament those whom we’d like to represent us
Voting allows New Zealanders to have a say on who you the people and political parties you think should have a say on the direction of New Zealand and which should have less of a say
Every vote counts because the political party or parties with the most votes become the Government and they make decisions that can affect you, including changes to the education system, student loans and allowance, financial assistance and support, childcare, the drinking age, and the driving age. Before you vote, you can read up on what each political party’s values are and what changes they plan on making if they are in power.

When can I vote?

Generally, to vote you need to:

Be 18 years old or older
Have been in NZ for more than 1 year continuously
Be an NZ citizen or permanent resident of NZ

But there are some exceptions, so click here for more details.

I think I’m eligible to vote… what do I do next?

You have to get on the electoral roll in order to vote. This is basically a giant list of people who have enrolled to vote and are allowed to vote.
It’s really easy to get on the electoral roll. You can do this online. Click here for more details.
When the next election comes around, you will be able to go to your local voting place on Election Day and cast your vote!

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