MEDIA RELEASE

Electoral Enrolment Centre
Monday 11 August 2008

Face-To Face With Young Adults For Youth Enrolment Week

Youth Enrolment Week starts today with a focus on being out on the streets, on campus and in the community, as part of a face-to-face bid to get 18 to 24 year olds enrolled to vote.

The Let’s Get Loud August enrolment drive aims to reach and enrol as many of the 107,500 18 to 24 year olds still not enrolled as possible.

“Youth Enrolment Week adds a face-to-face component to our August youth enrolment drive, reaching young people while they’re out and about shopping, studying, socialising, playing sport or taking a break from work,” says Murray Wicks, National Manager, Electoral Enrolment Centre.

“We have a concerted effort out on the streets and in the community with a visible presence to get young adults enrolled. This activity is supported by our other activity including the Bebo presence, advertising and work with community groups.

“There are some electorates where the figures show every second eligible 18 to 24 year old hasn’t enrolled yet,” says Mr Wicks.

The electorates with the lowest youth enrolment are:

Electorate 18-24 Year Olds Enrolled % of Eligible Enrolled
Auckland Central 5,132 44.2%
Dunedin North 8,585 50.7%
Wellington Central 7,481 56.3%
Mt Albert 4,696 58.0%
Hamilton East 6,615 59.1%
Christchurch Central 5,052 59.2%

“These electorates have high numbers of students living in them, and while some may be enrolled at their parents’ address, we know getting on campus to get those not enrolled to fill in a form on the spot is key.”

The enrolment teams have been working on tertiary education campuses and with student associations to improve enrolment levels.

Examples of activity this week include:

On the North Shore, our teams will be at Northcote Shopping Centre every day this week and weekend between 12:30pm-2:30pm. We are working to reach young people at the Northcote Big Screen Olympic Event which provides televised coverage of the Beijing Olympics on a large public screen during the middle of the day, and again in the evenings until 24 August.

On Wednesday at the Manukau Institute of Technology, New Zealand musicians Mareko and the Horsemen Family will be drumming up enrolments on campus.

On Thursday at Unitec, Mount Albert campus we will be enrolling the Auckland Rugby Team during a training session.

In Hamilton, we’ll be at Waikato University, Wintec and Te Wananga O Aotearoa during the week and at sports grounds on the weekend.

In central Wellington, our enrolment teams are on the street targeting young people shopping and in their work lunch breaks.

We will be on campus during the lunch period all week at Canterbury University and at Otago University all day on Tuesday 12 August.

Other activity includes enrolment forms in store at Burger King, Liqourland and selected Warehouse stores, information in movie theatres, street posters, enrolment information and forms available through YMCAs, youth worker networks and careers expos.

ENDS

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