6th September 2013

Young people will hold candidates accountable

The Manurewa Youth Council held an extremely successful elections forum on Saturday, with over 70 young people attending to ask Manurewa Local Board candidates and Councillors the hard questions. The event held in the Nathan homestead theatre gave youth the opportunity to speak to a range of candidates from different political backgrounds, all wanting to make a difference in the lives of our young people.

“The great thing about the questions posed was they weren’t just about key issues, the young people were serious about ensuring these candidates would live up to their promises,” says Manurewa Youth Council Deputy Chair Ashleigh Fata-Colcord.

“The candidates also responded well to the young people, reminding us that we can do our own bit to solve issues in Manurewa.”

“It was great to see the engagement the candidates had with young people and the questions they raised” says Communications Lead Matthew Ward.

“It is important for young people to feel valued in their community and the candidates showed how important young people are in policy decisions”.

The purpose of the forum was to encourage Manurewa young people to enrol and ensure that they make their vote count at this year’s elections.

With the high calibre of candidates the Manurewa Youth Council (has no doubts the future Manurewa Local Board will be strong advocates for youth and will continue to support young people in reaching their goals.

It is now hoped other youth councils and the Youth Advisory Panel will run similar forums to ensure young people are supported throughout the Auckland Region.

ENDS

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