New Youth Rōpū members ready to raise their voices
Inviting youth to the Council table - Councillors welcome new members to our Youth Rōpū to have their say about how we deliver services in Canterbury/Waitaha.
Last week we welcomed new members Taylor Bentley-Eddington, Zoe Croot, Gareth Kearins and Mazaiah Isaako Tualato to our Youth Rōpū through a special mihi whakatau.
Alongside seven other new members and eight returning members, they’ll make up our body of 14 to 24-year-olds that give input into our decisions and help young people in the region to share their views and join in with our work.
Seeking out the youth voice
We deliver many services important to tamariki and rangatahi such as public transport, climate resilience, and environmental protection. Our Councillors want to make it as straightforward as possible for young people to engage in local decision making.
Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) Chair Peter Scott believes that youth have an important role in council decisions.
“Their networks are wider and quicker and are therefore very useful in getting some of that social feedback. We pay attention to the young people who sit at our table, and for them, it's a good pathway to wider opportunities in local or central government.”
Alongside the Youth Rōpū, we also invite young people to join our work through youth representatives on our water zone committees, our Enviroschool Programme and special events like planting days.
Gaye Stanley welcomes our our Youth Rōpū at a mihi whakatau
“Ko te kōtuku rerenga tahi - the white heron of a single flight.”
Gaye Stanley, Senior Strategy Advisor Ngai Tahu, welcomes our young people with a special whakataukī/proverb about rare sightings of the beautiful White Heron. This whakataukī is often used to honour manuhiri/visitors of importance.
Emerging leaders
New Rōpū member Mazaiah is looking forward to making a difference for South Canterbury and bringing other youth together to do practical biodiversity work.
“It’s a chance to enhance my leadership skills and lead youth to do good things in the sustainability space,” she said.
Many of the new members are also passionate about issues like climate change and water quality.
Gareth was involved in the Waitarakao Washdyke Lagoon restoration project near Timaru, now that he’s studying in Christchurch, he sees joining the rōpū as a good way to keep connected and continue his environmental work.
Zoe and Taylor are excited to share their perspectives with decision makers and advocate for the next generation coming through.
“It will be our generation suffering the consequences of climate change,” said Taylor.
Our Youth Rōpū members
Connecting with local decision makers
Councillors Genevieve Robinson and Greg Byrnes joined our staff in welcoming the young people at the mihi whakatau and getting to know them over afternoon tea.
Councillor Robinson said that she wants to see the youth voice at the table more often, “There’s a sense of uncertainty about the environment at the moment, having young people at the forefront, rather than us Councillors, is uplifting.”
Councillors will next hear from the Youth Rōpū at the Regional Leadership Climate Community and Resilience Committee meeting where they’ll give their thoughts and ideas on climate related issues.
Young people’s voices valued
Chief Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad is a champion of youth voice – in every place and space.
It’s particularly important that children and young people get the chance to have their say on things that interest and affect them, and for their voices to be heard and taken seriously. As Claire emphasises, it’s also their right under Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“Young people tell me that our changing climate and the environment matters hugely to them, I’m so proud of the way they passionately show us that through local initiatives they are leading in Waitaha and around the motu/island.
“Their advocacy and leadership is so powerful. After all, they will inherit our planet – the world belongs to them and the decisions that are made by leaders today will affect them and future generations for hundreds of years to come,” she said.
“It’s great to see initiatives like Environment Canterbury’s Youth Rōpū and to know young people are having meaningful input in the decisions it makes, helping other young people share their views and contribute to its work.
“I’m excited to see these young people truly shaping the decisions affecting them and their communities,” Claire said.
Get involved
We have established lots of avenues for young people to get involved, from the classroom to the riverbed to the Council chamber.
Find out more about the Youth Rōpū, Our Councillors, Water Zone Committees, and our latest events.