Materoa Rewiri, a student at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Horouta Wānanga in Gisborne, has been selected by Labour MP Kiritapu Allan as the East Coast Youth MP for the 2019 Youth Parliament.
At 16 years of age, she's conscious and committed to creating change.
“We're at the top of the OECD lists for things like suicide, youth pregnancy and chlamydia and what not, I think these are serious problems,” says Rewiri.
Rewiri will lead the East Coast Youth Advisory Council, made up of six youths who will advise Labour MP Kiri Allan on government initiatives that impact young people in the East Coast.
“The goal is that by working together we will be able to further regenerate the East Coast and make it a safer place,” says Rewiri.
The Youth Council will learn how to participate in political, legal and social change processes. They will also be mentored by Kiritapu Allan and exposed to a range of political and community networks.
Rewiri says, “I've experienced the types of problems that other cultures have, and I draw comparisons to the problems faced by our people here at home. I want to fix them.”
A national Manu Kōrero speech competition competitor and waka ama and kapa haka member, Rewiri is heavily involved in her community.
“I stand for my school, for the East Coast, for Māori, for Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Oneone, and the youth of today.”
Rewiri wants to be the first prime minister from Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti.