Youth Engagement in New Zealand Politics

This assignment analyzes the factors contributing to low voter registration and participation among young people in New Zealand. It discusses how a lack of civic education, disinterest from public officials, and limited opportunities for youth input contribute to this issue. The paper proposes solutions such as government-led educational initiatives, increased engagement with youth concerns, and early voting options to encourage greater youth involvement in the political process.

Running head: POLITICS 1
New Zealand’s Politics
Student’s name
Institution
Date

POLITICS 2
Introduction
The fact that youths participation in the voting process gives them an opportunity to choose
the right government makes the young aged inability to register as voters remain a policy
problem in New Zealand. Those youths who are enrolled to vote do not show up on that
voting day. This has lead to a loss in new Zealand as the young people who do not register or
registered but do not show up on that voting day are expected to be the leaders of tomorrow.
The essay explains why lack of youth participation in New Zealand has been a policy issue in
the country.
1. Explain why it is a policy problem
Every citizen has a democratic right to vote and elect their leaders in the country. New
Zealand's system of government requires that people aged eighteen years and above enroll
and vote. There has been an advanced problem of disappearing youth vote in New Zealand.
Lack of participation of youth in the voting process has been a big issue influencing
democratic process in the country (Cohen & Kahne, 2011). Even though statistics show that
New Zealand enjoys a high turnout voters enrolment of about 79 percent, young people aged
between 18 to 24 ( 19 percent do not register as voters).
2. Background
Youths turnout in election process has been dismal in New Zealand. In research, there have
been discovered five classes of youths who do not vote in New Zealand. These classes
include: convinced and confident, disillusioned and distrustful, politically absent, ‘tentative
Triers' and living for the weekend. ‘convinced and confident' and ‘tentative triers' are well
motivated and accept to vote, but they do not turn up on the voting day (Duhn, 2010). Others
include disillusioned and distrustful, living for the weekend and politically absent. These are
people who are not well motivated to vote, but they do vote because they cannot see the
importance of voting. Other classes include the disinterested who have weak knowledge about
politics, have no motivation to show up on the voting day hence they do not vote.
3. Analysis
It has been discovered that in New Zealand the circumstances that hinder the ’convinced and
confident’ and ‘tentative triers’ from going to vote are unavoidable events and circumstances
which they did not know about while others are intimidated and overwhelmed by the process

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of politics hence they decide not to vote. The other three which include disillusioned and
distrustful, living for the weekend and politically absent are less motivated to show up on that
voting day (Furlong, 2016). The barriers that hinder them from showing up include the lack of
knowledge about politics and lack of motivation. Others affected mostly by low rates of
literacy and lack or very low access to means of transport and communication around them
while others are completely apathetic to issues that they consider do not have any effect on
their daily lives.
Also, the New Zealand’s government has been showing less concern to the youths concerns,
and this contributes to their lack of voter registration. The lack of appreciating the youths
value in governance is a major discouraging factor for the young people. Young people in
new Zealand are not interested in political matters because of profound or total lack of
knowledge about political issues (Ichilov, 2013). Others have very little or no motivation to
contribute fully and willingly on voting day. Other people do not go to vote due to individuals
convictions regarding the ineffectiveness to that their vote. They believe that to vote is not the
best way of influencing politics or bringing changes to New Zealand.
Another factor that makes the young people of new Zealand not to vote is that they follow up
whether their parents voted the previous elections. This is because the young people follow
what their parents are doing. If the parents did not show up on previous election day, the
young would consider it not important, and something, not compulsory which is done on
willing limpness (James, 2015). This leads youth to unconcerned about the politics. Some of
the other barriers that affect New Zealand young people from voting include the negative
attitude of seeing to vote is not the solution to bring the changes in New Zealand. The young
find it difficult to navigate that voting process due to decline or lack of civic teachers and
education in schools, apathy, political alienation, lack of understanding and inconvenience.
4. Discuss policy solutions
In New Zealand, the nonpartisan organization and political parties are finding ways and
solutions to minimize and end these barriers which hinder the young people from voting.
These parties have come up with some solutions which they must do to draw young peoples
attention to politics. In the New Zealand have taken a step of addressing the inconvenience
aspect on youths by raising the number of polling stations to avoid congestion and time

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wastage as the people spend a lot of time queuing. This is to remove which may lead to youth
discouragement as they do not like to stay the same place for long hours. Also, The
registration process in new Zealand has been made easier by making forms for enrollment
available in liquor stores, shopping complexes, and big hotels (Wood, 2014). This has enabled
the youth to enroll in an easy way at a very near place and in a straightforward way. This is to
encourage the young people of new Zealand to participate in elections.
Also in New Zealand, the political organizations have started to provide the transport means
to the polling stations. This is to encourage the youth of New Zealand who does not have
transport ways to show up on the voting day. They have also supported the early opening of
polling stations in New Zealand so as youths who have other tasks to tackle can vote early and
be off to other activities and also reduce congestion in polls (Miller, 2010). Voting campaigns
awareness are held in colleges and universities, using text and student media to encourage the
young people of New Zealand to enroll as voters and to show up on voting day
Due to the high advancement of technology, almost every youth in New Zealand is connected
to internet services (Farthing, 2010). The political parties have created websites in social
networks such as Facebook, Tweeter, Bebo among many others to motivate youth on
campaigns. This makes the young people have the concern about the elections. Also, the
political organizations in New Zealand use youth during campaigns to meet their colleagues
when social networking, during their peer meeting about the politics, via phone banking
among others (Sibley & Ward, 2013). This helps the youth to draw attentions when being
addressed by their peers hence get motivated to show up during the voting days.
Also, the political parties in New Zealand find the celebrity spokespeople mostly from youth
to come and speech political issues and events to the youth. Other spokespeople use new
technologies such as you tube, music and pop culture to draw youths attention on political
matters.
5. Evaluation
Research has been done in New Zealand to find solutions towards the failure of youths to
vote. The study identifies that the use of websites and social media to reach the youth maybe
the best way. This is because a large number of young people in New Zealand can access
internet services (Kelsey, 2015). Also, use of young people in campaigns can reach the youth
in an easy way and also one can accept easily to get involved in politics.

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The parents of the young people of New Zealand should make sure they participate fully in
the policy. This is because they act as role model to their children (Checkoway, 2011). When
parents show a right turn up to politics, also the youth will start to see the importance of the
policy in the society. Also, parents should encourage their children to enroll and to vote.
The political leaders should aim to campaign in areas with many youths mostly like in
colleges, universities and youth meetings. This is to encourage the young people to enroll as
voters and to create awareness on the importance of politics in New Zealand.
Youth should also be invited to political seminars to know the importance and how they are
carried out to stop the young people of New Zealand from considering the politics as hard
thing. Also, the youth is also encouraged to vote first even if they want to leave for the
weekend. This is enhanced by the early opening of the polling stations so as those who are in
a hurry can vote first before leaving for those other activities (Anaya, 2015). This has
encouraged the youth of New Zealand mostly to be involved in politics especially in enrolling
themselves and showing up on voting day. The government of New Zealand has to educate
teachers on political matters to teach the students about politics and their importance to
economic progress.
Conclusion
The lack of active civic education by the government on the youths has been the key
contributor to this menace. Also, the public institutions in the country do not value the young
people’s ideas, and this has been discouraging them from getting registered as voters. Again,
the public officials lack paying attention to youth concerns contributes to their ignorance in
the whole election process. Therefore, the government should begin valuing youth concerns,
educating them on the importance to vote, and involving them in policy making processes of
the country.

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References
Anaya, S. J. (2015). Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on
the Situation of Maori People in New Zealand. Ariz. J. Int'l & Comp. L., 32, 1.
Checkoway, B. (2011). What is youth participation?. Children and youth services
review, 33(2), 340-345.
Cohen, C. J., & Kahne, J. (2011). Participatory politics. New media and youth political action.
Duhn, I. (2010). ‘The center is my business': Neo-liberal politics, privatization, and discourses
of professionalism in New Zealand. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 11(1),
49-60.
Farthing, R. (2010). The politics of youthful antipolitics: representing the ‘issue’of youth
participation in politics. Journal of youth studies, 13(2), 181-195.
Furlong, A. (Ed.). (2016). Routledge Handbook of Youth and Young Adulthood. Taylor &
Francis.
Ichilov, O. (2013). Citizenship and citizenship education in a changing world. Routledge.
James, C. (2015). The quiet revolution: Turbulence and transition in contemporary New
Zealand. Bridget Williams Books.
Kelsey, J. (2015). The New Zealand experiment: A world model for structural adjustment?.
Bridget Williams Books.
Miller, R. (2010). New Zealand government and politics. Oxford University Press.

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Sibley, C. G., & Ward, C. (2013). Measuring the preconditions for a successful multicultural
society: A barometer test of New Zealand. International Journal of Intercultural
Relations, 37(6), 700-713.
Wood, B. E. (2014). Participatory capital: Bourdieu and citizenship education in diverse
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