Jevan Goulter Starts Youth Movement With Intention To Support Mana

There is a new beginning, new opportunities and a new chance to be represented.

Independent MP and Leader of The Mana Party, Hone Harawira last week at the Auckland University marae put a challenge out to the rangatahi of New Zealand. If you want to be heard, if you want to be represented and if you want to have a real say then you need to stand up. It was with that challenge I decided to take up the offer, while somewhat not fully in agreeance with the way it was put however the general idea and point of the matter being very clear and making sense. Now to stand up we need to unite, we need to communicate and we need to have some sort of mandate as any other political party, group or organisation has.

Now every political party has a youth wing, and they are made to sit in the back with their legs open and their mouths shut. I speak from experience being a former member of young labour, however now just like every other New Zealander and every other entitled voter in the country we have a new body, a new movement and a new voice to support. That is the Mana Party which is rapidly increasing in numbers and growing support daily.

They say one in five New Zealanders do not bother to vote because there is nobody worth voting for, this makes perfect sense when you look at Phil Goff or similar culprits, so thinking of those numbers would suggest there is close to a million people who will love this new movement!

We already know the figures for youth voting are lower than they should be and that is not even factoring in the amount of youth who are not even enrolled to vote, however what we are seeing here is a chance for the rangatahi of New Zealand to actually be counted, heard and listened to. We all have so much to say yet a large number of us do not bother to take the ridiculously simple steps to make it effective when said.

Smart people have their say on ballot papers during election day so it is time to ignite the youth of Aotearoa to start acting smart. This plan is not as easy as it sounds and holds a ridiculously enormous challenge ahead, however I am doubtful that it is impossible, especially if the likes of Hone Harawira can walk away from a political machine which lost its way and start a new craze like Mana, then surely we, the youth of our nation can do something as well, even if it is as simple as a few thousand like minded young people collaborating together and collectively uniting to have a voice in society.

I am joining the Mana Party, and I support the values and principals which the party is built on, however it takes more than one young person to be heard and more than one young person to represent the rest.

I learnt some valuable things campaigning for the mayoralty of Whanganui late last year, I learnt that change does not just magically happen, you and I make it happen, it happens together.

So to all the eligible voting youth of New Zealand, I do not challenge you, I do not force my views and beliefs on you, I do not instruct of you or demand you to do anything.

I simply ask that you think about the best way to be heard, if you agree that is via a joint united body then please get in contact with me. I believe we have a great opportunity of being heard through joining together and conveying our political views to a political party that will listen in a constructive united way as opposed to standing alone and remaining unenrolled or not prepared to vote.

I strongly believe the saying “If you do not vote then you may not complain” and if we think realistically about it we like to complain a lot for good reason, especially students with these ridiculous fees we are made to face upon graduating. The Labour party has failed us here and we already know what the National party think while at the same time the Maori party represent only a margin of people, so now it is time for us to look in a new direction. I have made it clear who I support and why however I am not doing this on behalf of any individual, organisation or party, I am first growing some support for this concept and purpose before putting it into action and formalizing this group of which once a group is created this will then decide what role it will take and how it will be governed. I would like to support the Mana Party by congregating as many youth together as possible and making sure we are heard in this new movement that is my intention.

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