On 20 September, New
Zealand will go to a vote to decide who will lead us for the next 3 to 4 years.
At Vantage Point we have asked a few political parties to answer some questions
about their policies for the next term. National, Labour and the Greens have
kindly answered us and in the next few weeks we will be releasing their
answers.
We
believe it’s the what not the who that matters, meaning it does matter
whether you prefer John, David or Russell and Metiria. What should matter is whose
policies you agree with. Unfortunately it can be hard to hear what those
policies are within the white noise of mainstream media (short of seeking it
out deliberately). Doing a match-making quiz online or through an app might
give you an idea of who you might want to vote for or confirm that choice but
you can only make an informed decision if you can compare what’s on offer.
These apps only prescribe what you should do and that can be very dangerous. We know it can be hard to make these choices and
young people can sometimes feel disconnected from the world of politics.
So we asked members of
these three parties how do they plan to involve young people and encourage them
to have a political voice? What policies do they have that address problems
that students and young people face?