Uncertain times for rangatahi in city lockdown

Youth Affairs Minister Peeni Henare says fear and uncertainty mean young people are doing it tough in the second COVID lockdown.

The Tāmaki Makaurau MP has been stuck in his electorate under Level 3, but he’s been getting around community and youth organisations to check their progress.

Manurewa High School has reported 10 percent of senior students didn’t come back after the first lockdown.

Mr Henare says that matches what he’s hearing elsewhere, and university students are also struggling, especially because of a lack of social contact with their peers.

Even small things can add to the stress, such as the mandate to wear masks on public transport from next Monday.

"Most people who use public transport are young people. Now they're worried about 'how do I have a mask? Can I get a face covering?' All those kinds of things so it can be small pragmatic things to some of the bigger things around education, work and achievement," he says.

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