Millennials turn out in force for political panel

Political Punch, a panel event spearheaded by Seed Waikato to get more millennials engaged in politics, was attended by nearly 100 people.

“Political Punch told us that young people are concerned about our future, and want to see our representatives tackle the issues that matter to them,” Chair of Seed Waikato, Gemma Major, said.

“We often hear the narrative with young people that ‘my vote won’t count’, but 100 per cent of attendees said they will vote in the next election.

“Lack of youth representation in local and central government was discussed, and as a community, we need to advocate and empower young people to put themselves forward.

“At the heart of the event were the six politicians who made it a priority to attend, and we can't thank them enough for saying yes to breaking down barriers between politics and millennials," Ms Major said.

“It was great to see so many Waikato students engaging in politics and asking hard hitting questions on issues that matter to them from mental health to water rights and science and innovation," said Brooke Van Velden, representative from the ACT Party.

Barbara Kuriger, MP for National Party said she was thrilled to be a part of the event.

“[I] was particularly buoyed by the way the speakers worked together. If we keep up these sort of conversations, democracy will be the better for it.”

Darroch Ball, MP for New Zealand First, said one of the most important aspects of engaging younger voters was ensuring they had the ability to make informed votes.

“The open dialog with the politicians that we experienced is exactly what we need to ensure we keep our democracy robust and meaningful in the uncertainty of the future,” he said. 

Jamie Strange, MP for Labour, said it was exciting seeing young people engaged in politics.

“Politics affects all of us. Our young people are not just our future, they are our present. It’s important that we as politicians engage across the age spectrum in order to connect and collaborate,” he said.

Sam Taylor, representative for the Green Party, said she loved that there were so many passionate, informed young people and that Seed Waikato was connecting them with politics.

“Their involvement is essential for the well-being of Aotearoa so I hope they grow the conversations and create more opportunities to be heard,” she said.

Donna Pokere-Phillips, representative for The Opportunities Party, said The Opportunities Party Democracy Reset policy was aimed at strengthening New Zealand’s democracy that had eroded over recent decades.

“Our political system has been captured by vested interests and this is why people are disengaging. We need to restore the sovereignty of Parliament and hand the power back to the people,” she said.

New Zealand’s only Ride Share app provider, UShare, was one of the event sponsors.

“It was an absolute pleasure for UShare to partner with Seed Waikato and sponsor the debate. The concern for the future state of the environment was a hot topic at the debate, and UShare is proud to be able to contribute to solving part of this concern for our communities regionally when we launch,” Founder Ailne Bradley said.

The University of Waikato proudly hosted and also sponsored the event. Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley said it was great to see so many young people becoming actively involved in meaningful conversations and invested in the future of New Zealand.

“We’re really proud that many Seed members are University of Waikato alumni and students – Seed Waikato does a fantastic job of inspiring and connecting people.”

Another sponsor was Waikato-based government relations firm HSB Government Relations.

"The numbers in attendance, the questions from the floor, and the robust engagement with our politicians confirmed to me that more than ever millennials want to be engaged in the political direction of our country," Director Holly Bennett said.

Given the high number of attendees across the entire spectrum of the local community, Seed Waikato is now considering making Political Punch an annual event.

The event was also live streamed on Seed Waikato’s Facebook, with people tuning in from all around the country.

Seed Waikato holds an event every month. Next month’s event Dreamshop: Tautuhi Ano is Seed Waikato’s last for the year. It will be held at Wintec's Atrium on November 10. More details can be found here.

The politicians in attendance (in alphabetical order) were:

• Barbara Kuriger MP, National Party

• Brooke van Velden, Act Party

• Darroch Ball MP, NZ First

• Donna Pokere Philips, The Opportunities Party

• Jamie Strange MP, Labour Party

• Sam Taylor, Green Party