Award-Winning Website Aims To Amplify Youth Voices

Thursday, 27 March 2025, 9:28 pm
Article: Torika Tokalau - Local Democracy Reporter

An award-winning digital platform, created by south Auckland youths, is aiming to increase the region's youth engagement in this year's local body elections.

Buzzly, which connects young people with important organisations, allows youths' voices to be heard on matters crucial to their future.

Creators of the platform are now looking to the local body elections in September.

At the last elections in 2022, of the 1.1 million Aucklanders registered to vote, only one in four of those aged 18-25 voted.

Voter turnout was low around ages 26 to 30 years, and peaked around age 76.

Buzzly board member and Mission Ready co-founder Diana Sharma said they want Buzzly to drive meaningful engagement.

"There is a lack of awareness and education on the local elections with young people," Sharma said.

"There is access too, ways that young people are familiar with."

Sharma said some youths weren't even aware of the function of the council.

She said they were working closely with schools and community hubs to increase participation of their local body election content.

"South Auckland is where we started, and we're also working with some schools in the west too now."

On Buzzly, youths share ideas and engage with other rangatahi. There are also challenges, where ideas that catch the eye of supporting organisations, get rewarded. Some past challenges have been on Artificial Intelligence.

Young people can help to impact decisions made by organisations on Buzzly, using their own creative ways, Sharma said.

Developed by Auckland Council’s Southern Initiative, in collaboration with Mission Ready, Buzzly recently won a prestigious global award for Digital Innovation with Social Impact at the World Summit Awards.

Buzzly head of innovation Joel Umali said with its global recognition and ambitious plans for the future, it was set to redefine youth engagement in civic participation—both in Aotearoa and beyond.

"We want to show young people how local government decisions impact their daily lives and why their voices matter," Umali said.

"Buzzly is about young people sharing ideas through creative challenges that rewards participation, as well as ensuring youth insights are heard and valued by key decision-makers."

Sharma said Buzzly was developed to bridge a gap in civic engagement and policy-making involving young people, particularly Māori and Pasifika – who were often under-represented in important conversations.

It was selected from more than 400 solutions worldwide as one of the best digital impact solutions in the Government; Citizen Engagement category of the awards.

"It's a phenomenal achievement.

“The mission of Buzzly is to amplify youth voices in an inclusive space created for, and by, diverse young people."

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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