Maya McNeill is taking her love of debating big issues such as abortion and euthanasia with family and friends all the way to Parliament.
Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown has chosen the 17-year-old Elim Christian College pupil to represent the electorate as its Youth MP for 2022.
The two-day Youth Parliament is held every three years in Wellington and gives young Kiwis the chance to learn about New Zealand’s democracy.
It’s staged from July 19-20 with the Youth MPs’ full term running from March 1 to August 31.
Ambitious youngsters who take part will advocate for their community, debate issues and legislation, sit on select committees and ask questions of their peers in Parliament’s debating chamber.
Maya, who’s in year 13, also serves on the Howick Youth Council.
She says that role sparked her passion for politics and her desire to apply to become a Youth MP.
“My dad also enjoys political talk and bringing it to family discussions at dinner time.
“My school principal put the opportunity out there and I read about it and did some research.
“I think it will push me out my comfort zone. It already is.”
Maya’s main political interests are in the areas of youth mental health and budgeting and finances.
“Especially in this time of the pandemic, mental health has been a massive issue,” she says.
“It’s had a big strain on youth.
“We’ve been isolated from our friends [due to Covid] and online school is not a good enough replacement.
“People have lost that human connection.”
She wants to see more done to educate young people about taking control of their finances.
“The minimum wage is decently high at the moment and I have a student job,” Maya says.
“I see people spend all their money on Uber Eats and have a big mentality on [payment method] Afterpay, so not buying stuff with their own money but with money they don’t have.
“There are quite simple ways to start saving.
“The housing market is crazy and if we start putting money away each week we could have a much brighter future in terms of housing and student loans.”
Brown says he’ll show Maya what it’s like to do his job, including by having her spend time at his Pakuranga electorate office.
“I’ll bring her in here at some point so she can see what I do when meeting constituents and talking about different issues.
“I hope for her to be exposed to what it’s like to be an MP by going to Wellington to see how Parliament works but to also see what an MP does in the electorate.”
Brown encourages local youngsters to take advantage of opportunities to become active in community issues.
“This isn’t the only way we get to work with young people throughout Pakuranga and it’s not the only opportunity young people have to serve the community.
“Maya has shown that by being a member of the Howick Youth Council and taking up that opportunity.
“Taking up the opportunities you have makes you a richer person and a better person.
“We need young people to come forward and tell us very clearly what’s important to them.”
