Youth Parliament
Every three years, around 140 young New Zealanders experience Parliament as Youth MPs and Youth Press Gallery members. Check back in and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Youth Parliament 2025!
Find out about Youth Parliament 2025, including how to apply to be a Youth MP or Youth Press Gallery member.
Find out about the Youth Parliament 2022 programme, including what happened at the two-day Youth Parliament 2022 event, and what Youth MPs did during their six-month tenure.
Find out about the Youth Parliament 2019 programme, including what happened at the two-day Youth Parliament 2019 event, and what Youth MPs did during their six-month tenure.
Find out about the Youth Parliament 2016 programme, including what happened at the two-day Youth Parliament 2016 event, and what Youth MPs did during their six-month tenure.
About Youth Parliament
Youth Parliament is an opportunity for young New Zealanders to learn first-hand about Aotearoa New Zealand’s democracy and to influence decision making.
Youth Parliament is a non-partisan process which was first held in 1994 to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the lowering of the voting age to 18. The first Youth Parliament was a short event that involved young people coming to Parliament for an education day.
Due to the success of the first event, in 1995 Cabinet invited the then Minister of Youth Affairs to hold a Youth Parliament every Parliamentary term, to:
- replicate the Parliamentary process
- involve as many young people as possible (before and after the event)
- maximise the educational opportunities of the event
- enhance Parliamentary public relations
- make known the views expressed to appropriate policy agencies.
A tenure programme has been in place for Youth MPs since Youth Parliament 2010, to make it more than an event. The tenth Youth Parliament was held in 2022, and involved a six-month tenure from 01 March 2022, that included in a two-day event at Parliament on 19 and 20 July 2022.