Tasha Hohaia - Māori Party Candidate for Manurewa A real Kingmaker or Queenmaker.

“I’ll tell you what a real kingmaker or queenmaker is,” states Hohaia, challenging the Government accountability for decreasing youth suicide, “A kingmaker or a queenmaker is someone who instills hope in a young person, reminds them they have status here in this nation, and ensures their well-being is upheld.”

A Unicef Report released in 2017 found New Zealand’s rate for teen suicides (15-19) was thehighest of the 41 OECD and EU countries. Of 41 countries New Zealand was ranked 38th for overall health and wellbeing of young people. As an advocate for New Zealand’s younger demographic, Hohaia is outraged with the way the country is preparing for the growing young population.

“It is a nation-wide issue, that requires a nation-wide strategy. This is what it means to put New Zealand first, it’s putting our future generations and our concerns as young people to the forefront. My heart aches watching our country put so much of a concerted effort into backing parties that fail to address adequately the crisis we’re in. We’re the worst in the world. What I’m concerned about too, is that with politics being overly represented by an older demographic,there’s a growing social distance between generations. Can New Zealand’s young people really trust the Winston’s to represent us? Will they restore our nation’s youth to their rightful place as kings and queens of the country?”

Creative opportunities such as ‘social bonds’, which Max Harris discusses in Project Aotearoa, explore contracting out public service to not-for-profit organisations, supporting those who are already making great headway in this area. There is further potential for an interconnected approach that crosses healthcare, education and other already established community and whanau pillars.

“You know, this tells a story of who we are as a nation the way we address this, the sense of urgency we place on this issue - the way we care for our young people”.

The Maori Party plans to expand Oranga Rangatahi - the Rangatahi Suicide Prevention Strategy for all NZ young people and resource the Turamarama Declaration as a pathway specifically preventing indigenous suicide.

Hohaia has travelled the country voluntary over the past ten years, singing and speaking in New Zealand schools with the aim to see teenage suicide decline and instill hope. This year she aims to legislate accountability.

ENDS

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