Youth Declaration 2012

UN+ DECLARED

YOUTH DECLARATION 13-16 April 2012 The University of Auckland www.unyouth.org.nz

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CONTENTS

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3

Letter to the reader

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Health

4

Children and Youth

20

Law and Order

6

Economic Development

22

Maori, Pacific and Minority Affairs

8

Education

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Science and Innovation

10

Environment

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Social Developments

12

Foreign Affairs

28

Personal Message from the Participants

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Gender

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Youth Declaration 2012 at a glance

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Government

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Our Sponsors

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Letter to the Reader Dear Reader, You hold in your hands a “Youth Declaration”. This document embodies the beliefs of vibrant young New Zealanders on twelve public policy areas. The Declaration undergoes rigorous drafting and scrutiny, resulting in a series of statements and recommendations. Through community outreach, discussion and debate, young people from all walks of life have converged to articulate a better future for our country.

It is their challenge to the leaders of today.

Our goal is to channel the youth voice and to continue the dialogue between youth and decision-makers. All too often, youth are portrayed in the media as apathetic and unaware. If only they are given a chance to learn and contribute, you will be amazed by the insights and opinions they hold.

“A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline.”

– Former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan Youth Declaration creates a forum for participation and aims to demonstrate that young people are conscious and informed individuals. Youth are often said to be the “leaders of tomorrow” but that does not mean they have no role to play in today’s society. It is important that youth are included in the decisions that will affect them for decades to come.

We hope that you will value and respect what is contained in these pages. By reading this document and using it to inform your decision making, you are contributing to the empowerment of young people in New Zealand.

The voice of young people holds immense power and is incredibly important to the development of society. It is now up to you give effect to it in order to create a stronger and brighter New Zealand.

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CHILDREN AND YOUTH SUBSTANCE ABUSE 1. We strongly believe that over-consumption of drugs and alcohol among New Zealand youth is a prevalent issue that needs to be addressed.

2. We encourage awareness-raising campaigns targeted at young people ranging from ages 12–24, showing the effects and harsh realities of substance abuse, with an emphasis on alcohol and tobacco. We encourage furthering the use of programmes such as “Attitude” in schools. We recommend more youthtargeted advertisements with slogans and relatable role models, similar to the “Smoking — not our future” campaign.

3. We suggest introducing harsher penalties in legislation in relation to the provision of alcohol for minors. We believe that it is crucial to increase enforcement of the current law in relation to intoxicated minors in public, as well as to increase public awareness of this area of law. Fines or penalties for companies that sell alcohol to minors should be increased.

MENTAL ILLNESS 4. We strongly believe that mental illness is often neglected in the New Zealand curriculum and is consequently misunderstood by youth.

5. We encourage the development of youth-to-youth support as an alternative measure for addressing mental illness, in addition to counselling. There should be training to equip young people with the skills to recognise, empathise and assist their peers who show symptoms of mental illness.

EARLY CHILDHOOD 6.

We encourage the Government to understand the importance of the first 1,000 days (Every Child Counts) of a child’s life as a base for their growth and to increase resources and funding 4.

for policies in during this period of childhood development. We recommend providing further subsidies for childcare for children under the age of 3.

7. We believe that Early Childhood Education (ECE) should be more accessible to all. Therefore, we recommend that, in addition to the 20 hours free Early Childhood Education currently available to children aged 3–5, subsidies should be available for any additional hours of ECE. 8. In order to combat child abuse, we recommend that the Government work in partnership with children’s organisations such as Plunket to provide free parenting workshops for all parents. These workshops should teach parents how to react and respond to challenging situations involving their children, such as when and how to take appropriate disciplinary action. The workshops should also educate parents about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

REPRESENTATION 9. We recommend the introduction of a Ministry for Children.

This Ministry would ensure that the Government takes into consideration the impact of policies on children.

10. We believe that the Ministry of Youth Development is taking good steps to achieve greater youth representation in New Zealand. However, we urge that more resources are allocated to them to promote their existing programmes, such as the Aotearoa Youth Voices Network and the National Youth Advisory Group.

YOUTH JUSTICE 11. We remind the Government that under art 37 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children should not be placed in prisons with adults. Therefore we urge that minors are placed in separate facilities, so that they never come into contact with adult offenders whilst in custody.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 1. We believe student loans should remain interest free in New Zealand for the foreseeable future to combat the brain drain and to encourage education across all socio-economic levels of society.

2. We believe foreign investment in strategic assets should be thoroughly regulated. If the foreign bidder has not indicated they can bring special expertise to the investment over and above that of a New Zealand purchaser, investment opportunities should first be offered to New Zealanders for a reasonable price.

3. We encourage foreign investors to invest in emergent New Zealand businesses if they wish to make any investment in a stable business in New Zealand.

4. We suggest that where a person between the age of 18–25 has been unable to find a job within 6 months, then the employer may hire that person on less than minimum wage and the Government will pay the remainder amount to that person, the minimum amount of 70 per cent of the minimum wage or equal there to. Where a person has greater expenses due to their financial and whanau position then the subsidy may be increased. This subsidy is to be paid to a maximum of 18 months.

5. We emphasise that those who have failed the first level of a secondary school academic qualification (e.g. NCEA Level 1) should have the choice to attend a full-time work experience programme as opposed to the traditional schooling system.

Students who have not failed their first level may opt into the programme. The Government should provide a financial 6.

incentive to those employers involved in the work experience programme to compensate them for the time spent training the students, and fund materials required.

7. We believe that the Government should be providing significant incentives to start-up businesses in sunrise industries such as information technologies and green technologies. Such incentives could include loans from the Government at Treasury rates rather than the interest rates of domestic banks.

8. We believe that the Government should regulate the price of electricity for businesses and households. This allows the savings made by businesses to be reinvested in those businesses, and the savings made by households to be used for further consumption.

9. We believe that all successive Governments should stop using changes to to income tax and Goods and Services Tax as a central policy of economic development because more constant tax rates encourage economic stability. People can plan for the future and loopholes can be dealt with, this reduces implementation costs of new tax rates.

10. We believe a tax-free status on the first $10,000 earned will help increase the standard of living by providing a slight increase in income of the poorest in New Zealand. Increasing the standard of living for all helps to decrease social costs.

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EDUCATION LEARNING ENVIRONMENT 1. We propose the creation of a network of inter-school co-ordinated anti-bullying programmes that are run in conjunction with community organisations aimed towards preventing bullying. Within this network, schools should share information about campaigning and encourage social support to help to create an anti-bullying environment.

2. We recommend that schools promote the importance of parental support in children’s learning outside of school hours.

3. We support refresher training courses for teachers to develop practical information technology skills to take advantage of and better use technological resources in schools.

4. We recommend an inter-school network for teachers to interact, share teaching resources and receive support so that they maintain high morale and motivation.

CONTENT 5. We recommend that the Government consider the introduction of a voluntary spiritual studies programme at state primary and intermediate schools that covers different religious customs and values. The alternative of this spiritual studies programme would be a secular moral studies programme.

6. We suggest the establishment of World Studies as an NCEA-recognised subject up to Level 3. The objective of 8.

the subject would be to develop a strong understanding of current international issues, global citizenship and geographic literacy to raise intercultural awareness. Current affairs should be assessed through internal standards.

7. We strongly urge that the current NCEA grading system be revised by introducing a percentage grading system that corresponds with letter grades to better reflect individual progress.

8. We appreciate the Government’s initiative to introduce national standards for literacy and numeracy in primary schools. However, to recognise that the learning pace of each child is different in the early years of primary school, we support the use of a personalised continuum to track individual progress from Years 1–4. The current national standards should be maintained for Year 5 onwards.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS 9. We recommend that there be a new public measurement to determine the quality of education, which takes into account factors such as NCEA pass rates, university entrance levels, NCEA endorsements, extra-curricular activities and social support. This method of comparing schools on broader basis would be separate from the decile system. Both methods could be used to assist people to compare schools.

10. We disagree with the termination of funding for free breakfast initiatives in low-decile primary schools.

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ENVIRONMENT 1. We expect the Government to be responsible for protecting New Zealand’s environment, developing policies that are in the best interests of both current and future generations. The Government could address sustainability challenges by using methods such as subsidies, education campaigns and legislation, involving local, regional and national groups.

PUBLIC AWARENESS 2. We see a lack of public awareness and easy access to information about current environmental issues. Environmental sustainability must be brought to the forefront of the media and education to promote the importance of sustainable change, to develop sustainable practices that become societal norms across generations. We believe that environmental studies should be integrated into Science or Social Studies curriculum up to Year 10. a.

We suggest the creation of a environmental equivalent of the “health tick” for products, which is standardised over different sectors should be created, so that consumers can make informed choices about the products they buy.

YOUTH INVOLVEMENT 3. We believe that youth, who will experience the consequences of today’s inaction, should have input into the decisions made regarding New Zealand’s environmental challenges. Young people have a unique role to play in challenging the “lock-in” mentality of the status quo. Re-instating and promoting school environment programmes is an important goal, as it educates and gives experience of the issues surrounding our environment. a.

The Ministry of Environment should also have a permanent youth advisory panel made of regional representatives. The panel will be responsible for communicating youth opinions on environmental issues, and to ensure that youth’s voice is heard and acted upon.

ECOLOGY 4. We believe that current conservation efforts need to be strengthened, through both restorative and pre-emptive initiatives, to safeguard New Zealand’s unique natural assets. The preservation of the nation’s environment is in New Zealand’s best economic interests. If we wish to have a sustainable society, the quest for profit must be reconciled with ecological protection.

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5. We believe that there should be accountability and penalties for environmental harm, enforced through regulations which outline the “rights of the environment” or acts which constitute “ecological crimes”.

Efforts should be made to explore the role of the human population within the natural ecosystem, and aspire to the integration and co-existence of anthropogenic and natural environments.

RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND FINANCE 6. While New Zealand is still young by international standards, we should still take the responsibility to develop new environmental initiatives, infrastructure and technologies to uphold our clean, green image. We can take advantage of natural resources to maximise clean energy production, such as solar, geothermal and wind power. We should continue to expand programmes such as home insulation subsidies and home water tanks. We believe New Zealand should promote environmental education at tertiary level. Further promote environmental education at a tertiary level.

TRANSPORT 7. We expect major sustainability developments in the transport sector. New Zealand ranks 5th in terms of car ownership per capita, a problem which can be improved through the re-allocation and investment of funding from roads to public transport, such as trains, buses and trams. The Government should devise incentives to encourage the use of low emission vehicles for personal use and disincentives for higher emission vehicles.

WASTE MANAGEMENT 8. We believe that business and household waste is being insufficiently managed, and we expect the Government to enable everyone to make positive changes in this sector with the goal of reducing waste and promoting alternatives.

INFRASTRUCTURE 9. We expect all industries to be aware of and act upon their environmental and social responsibilities towards to New Zealand and its natural environment. We encourage that the Government to develop green, resilient infrastructure, particularly in the rebuilding of Christchurch and expansion of Auckland, moving away from our current brittle, centralized infrastructure.

10. We believe that the Government should encourage positive environmental practice. Subsidies and other methods would provide sustainability incentives, driving its prominence in the future. These changes in planning and infrastructure development should incorporate and reflect the hopes of New Zealand youth, to lay the foundation for sustainable communities.

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES 11. We acknowledge the responsibility that New Zealand bears in the international pursuit of sustainable development in view of the pressures our societies place on the global environment and of the technologies and financial resources they demand. We now expect that agreements signed at International Earth Summits will be efficiently enacted by the government.

12. We expect that New Zealand will participate in the global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of our environment.

We can learn from countries such as Denmark that have developed without 11. compromising the environment or the economy.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE 1. We believe that the New Zealand Government should review the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in order to better determine the role and purpose of the Ministry. We also strongly believe that the Government should reconsider its current policy on restructuring the Ministry and focus more on its foreign policy objectives.

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS 2. We urge the Government to continue improving bilateral relationships with all countries, increasing both trade and diplomatic ties while bearing in mind: a. the ethics of trade with these nations; and b. the need to maintain New Zealand’s autonomy in determining its military, economic and administrative affairs.

ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UNITED NATIONS 3. We urge New Zealand to make a concerted effort to increase its international presence both through the United Nations, and by fostering and maintaining bilateral relationships.

4. We believe that New Zealand needs to continue to focus on the issues that concern it most. In particular, we are alarmed

by New Zealand’s lack of presence at FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) meetings, as agriculture is a major part of the New Zealand economy.

5. We urge New Zealand to continue to push for a position on the United Nations Security Council by using fair and non-corrupt methods. We strongly value New Zealand’s reputation as a moral and upstanding global citizen therefore we believe this should be the focus of our bid for the Security Council.

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ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PACIFIC 6. We encourage the New Zealand Government to continue its involvement with the Pacific Forum and push for the incorporation of all Pacific states and territories in order to strengthen the development of inter-Pacific relations. However, we suggest that steps be taken to reduce the influence of non-Pacific states. We believe that New Zealand should work towards strengthening the influence and power of the Pacific Forum.

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We support the New Zealand Government’s support for democracy and we encourage the development of democratic institutions in Pacific states. However, we believe that the New Zealand Government should respect the sovereignty of Pacific states.

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We applaud the New Zealand Government’s economic support for the Pacific region. However, we believe that the funding from New Zealand Aid Programme requires reassessment and that funding should focus on assisting educational and skills’ development in order to establish a stable and growing economy in the Pacific region.

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We believe that New Zealand should play a key role in facilitating and accommodating environmental refugees, particularly those from the Pacific region of which we are part.

INTERVENTION 10. We believe that military intervention and economic sanctions should be used as a last resort in the cases of extreme human rights violations. a.

Any intervention should be short term and designed to resolve the

violations and aimed at improving the situation for the citizens involved. b.

We believe any state that intervenes in another state’s affairs should

bear responsibility for restoring post-conflict stability.

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We support New Zealand’s role as a peacekeeping nation. However, we recognise the need for New Zealand to play a larger role in international conflicts at times, to be decided on a case by case basis. c.

We would then endorse any action taken by the Government to ensure that the defence force has the necessary resources to intervene as required.

NUCLEAR POLICY 12. We believe in keeping New Zealand’s nuclear-free policy. a.

However, we recognise the necessity of nuclear energy for other nations and so don’t condemn those who do use nuclear energy.

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We believe in a nuclear weapon free world. We urge the New Zealand Government to actively encourage all countries with existing nuclear weapons to disarm their arsenals, and to oppose all nuclear weapons programmes.

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GENDER ABORTION 1. We urge the Government to remove the killing of an unborn child as a crime from the Crimes Act 1961. We endorse the creation of a separate Abortions Act that will remove the existing requirement that a woman, in order to obtain an abortion, be declared mentally unwell by two separate General Practitioners. While we do not necessarily endorse abortion, we do encourage a woman’s right of choice to have abortions.

HYGIENE 2. We encourage the Government to subsidise feminine hygiene products.

SEX EDUCATION 3. We believe that sexual health education should be mandatory from Year 7 but should vary in content through year progression. We believe that sexual health education should be available as an option from Year 5, as we believe that strong sexual health education is important to maintain healthy sexual practices.

4. We think that there should be an external expert who provides sexual health education throughout all schools, to ensure consistency and to minimise potential bias of religious beliefs and sexual orientation preferences.

WORKFORCE 5. We recommend that all Government agencies employ a minimum of 40 per cent female workers.

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6. We support the Equal Pay Amendment Bill (proposed

by Green MP Catherine Delahunty), which allows employees to ensure that they are paid fairly.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 7. We encourage the creation of a new self-defence provision to specifically cater to cases of repeated domestic violence, where standards of imminence and reasonability take into account cycles of abuse, gendered hierarchies, race, and religion.

LGBT AFFAIRS 8. We firmly believe that withholding same sex couples their right to adopt together as one family unit is a breach of their fundamental human rights.

9. We believe that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, on the grounds that marriage is a right, not a heterosexual privilege.

10. We support the Human Rights (Gender Identity) Bill (proposed by Georgina Beyer) which makes gender identity a prohibited ground of discrimination under the Human Rights Act 1993. This would provide for the protection of transgender people from discrimination.

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GOVERNMENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT 1. We urge local government to create greater public awareness about the processes put in place to seek public suggestions on actions and changes that affect the community.

This may be done through: a. education providers; b. local media; c. social media; and d. any other relevant methods.

2. We oppose any explicit removal of environmental and social factors from the purpose in the Local Government Act to ensure the hauora of the local community.

3. We propose that any changes made to the Local Government Act do not diminish the role of local government in the management of current or future youth programmes in the community.

4. We endorse all the following recommendations with respect to local government: a. the Super City council structure should be confined to Auckland; b. the Auckland Mayoral structure should be adopted nationally; and c. at least one youth representative should be directly appointed to the Mayor’s support staff.

CONSTITUTION 5. We suggest that Parliament consider the double entrenchment of s 268(1)(a)–(f) of the Electoral Act 1993 in order to protect against the exploitation of political power.

6. We implore Parliament to consider more closely the 16.

Treaty of Waitangi principles when enacting and amending legislation in order to protect the fundamental rights of all New Zealanders, especially in maintaining s 9 of the State Owned Enterprises Act 1986.

7. We reaffirm that the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 is constitutionally important and would like this status to continue.

VOTING 8. We believe that compulsory voting would benefit New Zealand as a nation. We suggest adopting a model with a no confidence option, similar to that of Australia.

9. We ultimately believe that the knowledge and level of political awareness of the population has a direct correlation with the number of votes cast, as well as the informed nature of these votes. Therefore, we suggest the Government educate the public in the following ways: a. progressive education in schooling; b. community seminars presented by unbiased experts; c. revising social and local media campaigns to increase relevance to youth and the wider community; and d. any other appropriate measures.

REPUBLIC 10. We affirm the role of the monarchy in our current society.

However, we recognise the need for extensive research on the possible adoption of republicanism in the future.

11. We urge local and central Governments to consult regularly and work with all youth as we have a vested interest in governmental procedures.

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HEALTH NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES 1. We believe that the Government should encourage physical activity by providing an environment that allows people to participate in physical activities, such as providing safe cycle lanes, walkways and parks.

2. We recommend that there be a regulated food labelling system so that members of the public can easily distinguish between nutritious and innutritious foods.

3. We encourage education campaigns for children and parents to tackle obesity in children. We believe that there should be restrictions on food advertising, and that nutritious food should be available in and around schools.

4. We recommend the Government ban smoking in public areas and strictly regulate cigarette composition so that New Zealand can be smoke-free by 2025.

5. We recommend that the Government regulate the density of outlets for tobacco, alcohol and fast food.

6. We believe that due to the dire health consequences of binge drinking, the Government should take firm action to shift public mentality away from excessive alcohol consumption.

7. We urge the Government to place emphasis on the support of initiatives and use the media to expand public awareness on the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

MENTAL HEALTH 8. We recommend that the Government focus on addressing New Zealanders’ mental and social well-being, equal to their physical well-being.

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9. We recommend that the Government tackle bullying by providing effective counselling for both the bully and the victim, in schools and working environments.

AGEING POPULATION 10. We encourage the Government to increase training and incentives for geriatric health professionals and encourage students to volunteer in rest homes, in order to deal with the increasing pressure of our ageing population in the work force.

11. We encourage that the Government introduce legislation to make rest homes more affordable and to provide suitable care for the ageing population.

HEALTH SYSTEMS 12. We believe that the Government should increase primary healthcare and make it more accessible especially in low socio-economic areas, and thus decrease the burden on secondary healthcare.

13. We encourage the training of more health professionals, in addition to doctors.

HEALTH INEQUALITIES 14. We believe that heath inequalities between different income groups and different ethnicities are unfair and unjust and that the Government should address it.

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LAW & ORDER PRISONERS 1.

We recommend that all prisoners participate in compulsory rehabilitation whilst in prison. The particular type of rehabilitation necessary should be determined on a case by case basis through initial and ongoing evaluation, with the aims of assessing recidivist and reintegrative potential. The types of rehabilitation should include, but are not limited to, drug and alcohol programmes, counseling, psychiatric care, educational and skills training.

2. We suggest that a post-release support network be put in place to ensure and assist prisoners’ integration into society. The support could include advanced up-skilling and better employment opportunities, pastoral support and community networking.

IMMIGRATION 3. We encourage immigration to New Zealand as a way of diversifying New Zealand culture and improving the state of the economy. We recommending extending the privileges that New Zealand citizens enjoy to migrants and refugees by reducing the minimum length of stay required before residency and citizenship are conferred. We believe that young migrants, whose families have demonstrated a commitment to establishing roots in New Zealand, such as through economic and community participation, should be eligible for domestic education fees within the public schooling system.

4. We propose allowing refugees and migrants qualifications to be better recognised. Refugees and migrants should be given an appropriate level of re-training to help to contribute to the community.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE 5. We support practical efforts to reduce substance abuse in our communities.

6. We believe that compulsory education about the potential harms of excessive alcohol consumption should begin at Year 9 level and be further integrated into Health Education.

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7.

We recommend that warning labels similar to those on tobacco products should be placed on products that have high alcohol content.

8. We support recent advertising campaigns that aim to reduce binge drinking and drink driving, and also recommend the use of graphic advertising campaigns to reduce and prevent drug use.

BAIL 9. We believe that the nature of the offence should carry more weight than the other criteria listed in s 8(2) of the Bail Act 2000 in determining whether bail is granted.

10. We support the suggestion put forth in the Domestic Violence Amendment Bill, which seeks to amend the Domestic Violence Act 1995, so that the police can remove those suspected of domestic violence (where there is an insufficient basis to arrest) from the home of the victim for up to five days.

VICTIMS 11. We support victims’ rights because the justice system has a responsibility to mitigate harm to victims, in addition to prosecuting offenders.

12. We also recommend that any effect on community wellbeing should be taken into account as well as the effect on the immediate victim.

13. We believe that there should not be any censorship of victim impact statements during the offender’s sentencing process as any and all emotional impact on victims should be taken into consideration. We further believe that censorship of victim impact statements amounts to a manipulation of the victims.

PREVENTING YOUTH OFFENDING 14. We recommend setting up more youth facilities such as youth night clubs in order to provide a safe environment for youths to socialise whilst reducing the likelihood of drug and alcohol use and youth offending. We support the establishment and continued running of youth councils, given that they integrate youths into their communities. This would reduce the marginalisation of youths and therefore the likelihood and incidence of youth offending.

15. We further suggest that City Council budgets take into consideration the financial needs of Youth Councils, in addition to providing them with other forms of support.

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MAORI, PACIFIC ISLAND AND MINORITY AFFAIRS GOVERNMENT AND LAW 1. We recommend the election of a youth representative to Parliament, because we believe that youth are underrepresented in our political system.

2. We urge the Government to establish a law where if industrial action occurs, the Government must intervene after 60 days, conduct mediation and seek resolutions to safeguard and provide job security to the employees.

EDUCATION 3. We urge the Government to re-implement nutritional education programmes within primary, high schools and community groups to address the growing issue of lifestyle diseases amongst minority groups.

4. We believe that greater emphasis needs to be put into the education and celebration of language and cultural diversity in primary and secondary schools, to reduce the discrimination towards minorities in New Zealand.

5. We support the establishment of NZQA-recognised trade, sports and arts academies for early school leavers to ensure that young people undertaking work in these areas gain further qualifications.

6. We urge the Government to revise the teaching of New Zealand history in teaching colleges, primary and secondary schools in order to create a more informed and unified New Zealand in regards to the Treaty of Waitangi and other matters relating to MÄ ori affairs.

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7. We urge the Government to establish mentoring and after-school study programmes in low-decile schools and minority community groups, to encourage, empower and

motivate minority students so that they can fully exercise their right to education.

HEALTH 8. We believe that those in the lower income bracket and state housing should be granted subsidised insulation on a case by case basis in order to improve the health of all inhabitants.

9. We encourage community-based health and education support programmes for pregnant women in minority groups to safeguard both the mental and physical health of the child and parents.

10. We support government funding of Family Planning/ Family Start schemes among minority groups and urge further promotion of these services. The purpose would be to educate minority groups about family planning and sexual health.

SOCIETY 11. We recommend greater advocacy for mentally and physically disabled and impaired peoples.

This is to foster the values of understanding and empathy and to assist all citizens of New Zealand.

12. We support the use of MÄ ori Wardens and suggest an increase in cultural wardens amongst minority groups to improve the relationship between authorities and communities.

13. We recommend that the Government put in place job training/re-training and naturalisation programmes for refugees and immigrants, in order to better integrate immigrants into New Zealand society.

14. We affirm the rights of MÄ ori as tangata whenua of New Zealand and the spirit of the Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand.

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SCIENCE & INNOVATION GOVERNMENT 1. We believe that the Government should attempt to increase investment in research and development to meet or exceed the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) average as a long term goal.

2. We support the prioritisation of investments towards research with commercial or societal value.

3. We recommend that the salaries of individuals working in the field of science and innovation should be increased.

BUSINESS 4. We encourage businesses to source human and natural resources locally. This will help to keep research and development spending within New Zealand.

5. We wish to increase awareness of the benefits of investing in science and innovation for businesses.

6. We believe that New Zealand should hold a large international science conference, in order to attract foreign science institutions into the country for investment and research.

7. We urge local businesses to prioritise New Zealand when considering the release of newly developed technologies. This is to ensure that New Zealand society is the first to benefit from internal scientific advancement.

8. We believe that both public and private firms should increase their research and development investment, especially those that are involved in higher technology industries.

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EDUCATION 9. We encourage that basic scientific concepts be further developed in the primary school curriculum to promote scientific interest among New Zealand children.

10. We believe that job placement positions in science and innovation sectors be offered in conjunction with scholarship programmes, in order to retain students in New Zealand’s scientific institutions.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 11. We suggest that there be more extensive media coverage of scientific progress in New Zealand, to help increase public awareness of science and innovation among the New Zealand public.

12. We encourage that both public and private research institutions interact directly with the wider New Zealand community through tours and open days. This will create public awareness as well increase the public image of the institutions involved.

13. We encourage the establishment of initiatives that involve public participation in science and innovation.

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SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 1. We recognise the significance of the Government’s responsibility to uphold international obligations and the need for consistency across legislation. Therefore we support changing the definition of young person from 17 to 18 as proposed by cl 4 of the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Amendment Bill (No 6) 2007.

2. We recognise the detrimental effect of misconceptions and stereotypes based upon factors such as age, religion, sex, sexuality, income, social position and ethnicity, on individuals and society. Therefore we support initiatives which promote awareness and understanding about the characteristics of fellow citizens in order to discourage people from relying on stereotypes and forming misconceptions.

3. We believe that everyone has the right to earn a living wage. We emphasise the importance of maintaining and developing new skills in gaining employment.

Therefore, we recommend that the Government provide opportunities to those on the unemployment benefit to improve their employability.

4. We recognise the social cost of homelessness to New Zealand and strongly urge the Government to acknowledge homelessness as a social issue. We recommend that the Government initiate and implement short term and long term strategies to address this.

5. We recommend that state-provided financial support and the income of public sector employees be adjusted regularly for inflation, to maintain a consistent standard of living.

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6. We condemn the abuse of public services, and therefore urge members of society to take responsibility and consider the well-being of society as a whole when using state services.

7. We endorse government support for communitybased organisations, and acknowledge the essential work that these organisations do for their communities. Keeping in view the depth of these organisations’ first-hand knowledge, we suggest that the Government consider its ability to allocate resources appropriately and effectively to support the actions of these community organisations.

8. We support the Government’s requirement for the allocation of a percentage of proceeds from gambling to community development. However, we emphasise that gambling is itself a major issue in New Zealand, and recommend introducing tighter regulations surrounding the gambling industry and encourage the Government to promote initiatives which combat gambling addiction.

9. We believe in the strength, diversity, knowledge, wisdom, capability and experience of communities.

Therefore, we encourage the Government to promote the development of vibrant, connected neighbourhoods.

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Personal Message from the Participants

I believe that healthcare should be readily accessible. The Government should subsidise healthcare more for young people, from the first stages of infancy, right through to the age of 18.

We want skate parks at school to keep kids entertained at lunch breaks.

I believe that there should be harsher punishments for people who commit animal cruelty.

I would like to urge the New Zealand Government to provide more support for families with lower incomes to further reduce the growing gap between rich and poor.

I encourage the improvement of public transport such as trains and buses, making them more efficient and cheaper especially in major towns and cities.

I believe that schools should work towards helping their students to achieve a direction in their future careers earlier, to allow appropriate specialisation in their education and give them goals to work towards.

Immigration should be made easier to allow New Zealand to become truly multicultural, a country which represents within its population the racial diversity of the world. This would lead to modernisation, stimulated by the expertise and knowledge brought in by foreign experts of different fields.

I believe that youth organisations should receive more funding from the Government.

I believe there should be a free glass of milk each morning for every child living in poverty or at a lowdecile school. I endorse current programmes supported by local companies such as Fonterra.

I believe the Arts are a vital part of our society and that the Government should do more to encourage the development of Arts and Culture in our communities.

I hope in the future that New Zealanders will come to understand the importance of the role of Government. The more we give, the more we get. Having low taxes won’t necessarily make us happy. We want to be part of a society with world class infrastructure and be a country that we can all be proud of.

I would like to emphasise the importance of maintaining biodiversity, and conserving our natural environments, as well as our native flora and fauna. Becoming more aware of environmental projects, such as saving the kiwi, is valuable in getting people involved and aware of the state of our ecology. The public needs to be informed about the importance of a balanced ecosystem, which is maintained by preserving biodiversity, not only in New Zealand, but globally.

I would like there to be better public transport in Auckland. The Government should be investing in more public transport in the central city, especially where traffic congestion is a major problem. Therefore, I urge the government to make public transport much more reliable and available to the public.

I believe that youth have the right to be heard and have their say on current political issues, especially through direct communication to the Government.

I believe that youth today should have the ability to have a say in society and in the Government, as youth today will be the ones living in the future created by the actions of today.

The Youth Declaration bridges the gap between young people in New Zealand and said Government representatives who hold outdated values. Youth are still pure and not corrupted by money, for example.

This is why I believe that there should be a youth council to the Government led by youth, especially for the environment, because we inherit land far after the next election.

I want New Zealand to have a more direct and proactive role in tackling global issues such as world hunger, because as a more developed nation, we are able to contribute and have a large influence in solving these issues.

Increase the rate of bilinguals in New Zealand communication in our future.

I would like the Government to seriously consider where it is spending its money, especially in infrastructure and social welfare areas, such as benefits and superannuation funds.

Help the hungry, homeless and clean up the streets.

We believe that New Zealand should continue to pursue economically and environmentally sustainable methods of development.

The future of the New Zealand economy will continue to grow, despite world resources depleting, because it has invested in sustainable development.

New Zealand should always be peaceful in international negotiations and political discussions, creating the potential for fostering advantageous diplomatic relationships.

New Zealand should continue to protect, maintain and develop its clean and green image to protect the environment for generations to come.

We recognise the importance of continued economic development but believe that this should not be pursued to the detriment of gender-specific, lower socio-economic groups, other minority groups, or the environment.

I think that there should be greater encouragement for schools to adopt the Cambridge system, perhaps alongside NCEA.

I believe the Government needs to include a permanent youth advisory panel to incorporate the views of youth with innovative ideas, who have no political say but are essentially the essence of the future.

I believe that New Zealand youth should be fairly represented throughout all sectors of society as they are the future leaders of tomorrow.

I believe that input from today’s youth needs to be more highly regarded and considered in decisions made. Therefore, I suggest that a “youth advisory board” be created within government and/or a Parliament to represent the youth’s views and opinions.

I urge the Government to add a youth advisor to Parliament, someone who can advise Government on matters which concern the youth of New Zealand.

I believe that the Government, at all levels, should employ and promote knowledge of current and future issues into everyday education. It is great to have Youth Declaration, where students discuss solutions on community issues and work towards creating a more educated and sustainable future.

I urge the Government to reconsider the selling of state assets.

Selling them would provide short-term economic benefits, but keeping them would provide long-term economic benefits, and I believe New Zealand has a very short-term perspective in this case.

I consider it a waste to dispose of nappies and women’s sanitation products —- such a huge amount of waste. Therefore there should be a development in the design of these products to be environmentally friendly. It will reduce the amount of waste to the environment, and will also cost the producers less to produce the products.

I believe that the efficiency of the recycling system in our clean, green country should be improved.

I would like the future to have equality in society, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equality, and a healthy clean green environment.

I would like sexual empowerment for women to be embraced and celebrated, rather than frowned upon, as sexual empowerment is perceived as a strictly male privilege (by media and global mentality).

I believe that there should be more support programmes in our education system. I think that there should be more academic training for teachers, including courses that teach them how to communicate with their students, as well as helping them to know NCEA well before they start their job. These types of programmes help New Zealand students to receive a better education, which will help to discourage New Zealanders from leaving for Australia every year.

I believe that children and youth are a huge asset to Aotearoa and that in our country, there should be no place for child abuse.

I hope to be able to contribute to the projection of a healthy New Zealand identity in future years to come.

I believe youth are the future and our country respects and values youth. I believe this can be encouraged more and one day youth will have a seat in Parliament.

I want a racism-free New Zealand.

I believe that effort should be taken to promote ethnic diversity so that globally we become recognised as the most culturally accepting country in the world, and not just as the rugby- playing nation.

I want to live in a New Zealand that talks about the issues it has, one that deals with its problems honestly and is fair and equal for all.

I believe that Christie’s Law should be passed as soon as possible in order to better protect victims in the criminal justice system. I also believe that victims’ statements should be in no way censored as it is a miscarriage of justice and prevents victims from being accurately and fairly represented during court proceedings.

I believe that the Government should place more of an emphasis on making legislation that have New Zealand’s long-term interests at heart.

The youth of New Zealand support the expansion of social programmes to develop our society, and also believe that economics, while important, takes a secondary role to collective social development.

I believe that the laws and procedure concerning immigrants, especially for young students such as myself, should be far more favourable and equal for all income brackets to ensure that NZ is a leader in becoming a culturally diverse nation of the modern world.

Auckland will never be a world class city without a half decent public transport system —- bite the bullet and invest now.

I think New Zealand has the potential to become a leading force in innovation and science. I feel this is what New Zealand should focus on. This as a long term goal as this high growth industry will not only benefit the community, but it will also strengthen our economic state.

I urge the Government to put initiatives in place that engage youth at all levels of society.

I believe that we, New Zealand youth, can and will help shape a country, where individuals will not face barriers to flourishing and succeeding in life besides the limitations they place on themselves.

I believe New Zealand is made up of exciting and diverse communities, and we should celebrate this cultural diversity as it makes us unique as a nation.

I believe it is essential for the Government to make addressing inequality its first priority. This will allow us to build a happier, united New Zealand.

I believe that no group of individuals should be discriminated against for its culture, religion, abilities or disabilities.

I believe there needs to be greater emphasis on better quality housing, increased after school hours tuition/ help schemes and also more accessibility and affordability of fresh fruits and vegetables. A culmination of these three points should be central to New Zealand society. If the Government could provide these for children, we would be setting them up for successful and healthy lives.

I believe that New Zealand should strive to reduce all forms of self-harm, with suicide being a major issue in our society to fight.

I would like to affirm to rights of Māori as tangata whenua of Aotearoa New Zealand and also urge the Government to look towards making Māori and New Zealand sign language mandatory in primary and high school from Years 1–10.

Just because we, the youth of New Zealand, are the leaders of the future does not mean that we should refrain from being the leaders of today. I believe that in order for New Zealand to be a truly united nation, we must first develop communication between the Government and various community organisations.

I want to see gay marriage legalised in New Zealand.

I believe that New Zealand has incredible potential and I urge our Government to further develop the positive reputation and thus the power of our nation, while upholding the key values and beliefs which make up the unique nature of our society.

I believe that New Zealand should focus on what we are known for overseas — our friendly and welcoming nature. And I hope that in 20 years, this reputation will still define who we are as New Zealanders. We must take action at all levels so that this can remain true.

29.

Youth Declaration 2012 Your future.

Be heard.

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31.

MEET THE

YOUTH

DECLARATION

COMMITTEE

Sally Wu

Yanjie Long

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Coodinator

Assiantant Coodinator

Logistics Officer

Elia Kim

Kyung-il Min

Elliot Hurst

JY Lee

Communications Officer

Registrations Officer

Education Officer

Graphic Designer

32.

Youth Declaration 2012 Your future.

Be heard.

This document reflects the views of the young people who attended Youth Declaration but does not represent the views of UN Youth as an organisation.

33.

WHAT IS UN YOUTH? United Nations Youth Association of New Zealand, or UN Youth, serves as the youth arm of the United Nations Association of New Zealand, a member of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA). WFUNA has consultative status to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Despite only being in existence since 1999, UN Youth creates an amazing opportunity for youth to express themselves, learn about the United Nations and provide positive solutions for what is, ultimately, their future.

Visit our website: www. unyouth.org.nz Get the latest updates on our Facebook: facebook.com/unyouthnz

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CONTACT US M: +64 4 496 9638 E: info@unyouth.org.nz Level 13 Davis Langdon House 49 Boulcott Street PO Box 24494 Wellington Aotearoa New Zealand www.unyouth.org.nz www.facebook.com/unyouthnz www.twitter.com/unyouthnz

36.

THE UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND (UNITED NATIONS YOUTH ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND BRANCH), INC IS THE YOUTH ARM OF THE UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND, A MEMBER OF THE WORLD FEDERATION OF UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATIONS (WFUNA)