“Maybe, far down the track”. That’s Nelson Youth MP Emmy McKay’s position on a ministerial career after her inaugural visit to the Beehive for Youth Parliament on 1 and 2 July.
Spearheaded by the Ministry of Youth Development, the event saw 123 young people from across the country absorbing our country’s democracy and spotlighting issues in the debating chamber, and with decision-makers in a Parliamentary Working Group.
As an accomplished debater, Emmy was in her element among the green benches, oak, other Youth MPs and onlookers in the debating chamber, making her reputation with a heartfelt speech on mental health.
“Mine focused more specifically on the wealth inequities that exist within our mental health system,” she says. “The three main points were that it’s a very big issue within New Zealand that young people can’t access help, that the free resources aren’t adequate to the needs of young people, and mental health disproportionately affects those who are already facing other hardships.
“It was really cool to talk to a lot of the other people who had similar concerns to me, and hearing that they really resonated with my speech.”
Emmy, who is also a Nayland College Year 13 student, says she engaged with Nelson youth ahead of Youth Parliament to garner their views on housing, which was the nexus of her Parliamentary Working Group.
“There were some concerns over protecting our environment, and consulting local iwi, as well as getting more housing, and this is very topical with the heavy rain we’ve been having, making sure we’re building houses in areas that are safe,” she says.
Emmy and her group presented to policy makers from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
“The first recommendation was about centralising and streamlining the housing regulations, because we identified that across New Zealand there are quite a few differences in some kind of arbitrary housing rules that prevent things from being built,” she says. “We would create a set of plans for different types of density areas, and then councils would be able to pick from those.”
Emmy also witnessed two North Island homeschooled athletes, who cycled from Cambridge, present a petition at Parliament calling for changes to rules governing homeschooling after they were denied medals at a North Island mountainbiking championship.
Local track and field athlete Josh Mitchell was also recently informed that his multiple triumphs at the South Island Secondary Schools champs won’t be officially recognised since he is also homeschooled.
Emmy says the status quo was “clearly, deeply unfair”.
“He has put in the work and has the scores to prove it, and to not be recognised for that is entirely unjust,” she says.
“To recognise homeschooling as a legitimate form of schooling, you also have to recognise that these kids are students too.”
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack, who lauded Emmy’s mahi representing the electorate at Youth Parliament, says young athletes shouldn’t be discriminated against.
“I think that the government does provide funding for school sports, and so I do think they have a role to be very clear with the sporting codes concerned that homeschool students shouldn’t be excluded.”
