I whakaputahia tēnei atikara e RNZ.
Māori student leaders are encouraging young Māori to vote in this year’s general election.
Te Huinga Tauira - the National Māori Students’ Conference - is taking place in Auckland this week bringing together hundreds of students to discuss issues affecting them and to celebrate their culture.
This year’s kaupapa is being hosted by Tītahi ki Tua, the Māori students’ association at AUT, Ngā Haumi ki te Ao at Massey University, and Te Mana Ākonga, the National Māori Tertiary Students’ Association.
With Aotearoa heading towards a general election, students said Te Huinga Tauira was an important space for rangatahi to bring their political whakaaro to the surface.
The call comes as enrolment among the country’s youngest voters continues to fall, with just 53 percent of 18 to 24 year olds enrolled ahead of this year’s election - the sixth consecutive election year the rate has declined.
Te Mana Ākonga pou tumuaki Te Tuhi Whakaura o te Rangi Wallace-Ihakara said Māori students already understood the importance of participating.
“It’s a key issue in the sense that we don’t have to reiterate the importance of voting because throughout the entire year we’ve all agreed that that is a purpose for all of us, especially rangatahi who are eligible to vote,” she said.
“It’s not something that we push for because we don’t have to. We’ve been pushing all year and therefore we’re all just moving together with voting.”
Te Mana Ākonga pou tumuaki Kimberley Peacock agreed, and said voting would be a priority for tauira as we approach the election.
“Our tauira have really strong voices so I’m sure that voting is a priority for them this year because they want to have their voices heard.
“They’re all amazing people, amazing leaders and they will be the leaders of our future.”
Ngā Haumi ki te Ao Tumuaki Takirua Peyton Joe said political changes could have a real impact on Māori.
She said news coverage was helping Māori understand how those changes could affect them.
“And I feel that now, Aotearoa Māori or just Māori, they can resonate with how these changes can really affect them. And hopefully, please vote.
“Do vote because your vote does count and every count, every vote does contribute to the better good of ourselves, our rangatahi, our future.”
Joe said young Māori needed to have a say in decisions that would shape their future.
“It’s definitely important for young Māori to vote because this is our generation to come. This is our future for us. And we need to have our say, to get our vote in, for the government to be able to hear us.
For Ngā Haumi ki te Ao Tumuaki Takirua Mathew Tyler-Rope, choosing not to vote when he was younger was something he later regretted.
He said developing an awareness of politics early could give people greater perspective as they got older.
“And I regretted that when I got to my 30s. I sort of felt like, actually, you know, I could have had some input and say about things that mattered to me and maybe made some difference. And I didn’t.
“So I regret that.”
The week-long conference includes kapa haka, kura reo, hākinakina, Ngā Manu Kōrero (kaupapa Māori speech competition) and runs until Sunday.
Nā Layla Bailey-McDowell nō RNZ.
