A UNICEF young ambassador says last night’s young voters’ debate showed rangatahi are being drawn to the minor parties.
The TVNZ debate centered around issues like cost of living, the environment, employment and housing.
Nele Kalolo asked the politicians how would they empower young Pasifika peoples to engage with elections and politics.
She says National and Labour’s centrist positioning won them no favours.
“As young people, we are way more passionate and kind of on the ends of spectrums with the political issues rather than in the center. And so I think that’s why the youth debate, it would make sense why I made minor parties to step out more than they would for, like another type of debate,” Ms Kalolo says
She says as a young wahine, watching Te Pāti Māori’s 20 year-old Hauraki-Waikato candidate Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke hold her own against the heckling and interrupting of NZ First’s Lee Donoghue was inspiring.
