New youth MP settles on priorities - October 2015

LEADING THE WAY: Whanganui MP Chester Borrows (left) and Whanganui Youth MP Timothy Rowe lean on the shoulders of Premier John Ballance.

Improving the standard of education and alleviating child poverty are the top political concerns of the new Whanganui Youth MP.

Timothy Rowe, a title-holding kayaker and Wanganui High School head prefect, has that job for the next year. He will be trailing Whanganui MP Chester Borrows around the electorate and going to parliamentary functions when he can fit them in.

Timothy is preparing himself to represent the youth of the Whanganui electorate at a two-day Youth Parliament in July next year.

He will experience contributing to select committees and making speeches in the House of Representatives.

The 17-year-old applied for the role after reading that Mr Borrows was looking to fill it. Timothy's was one of nine submissions, seven of them from Wanganui pupils.

He said he would like to be in politics himself some day.

"I've always looked around for leadership roles. I love the idea of being able to contribute to a community that built me up."

He would be especially interested in contributing to bills which improved the standard of youth education, and increased young people's job chances.

"I hear politicians talk about how they want to make unemployment zero, but it would be more helpful to try and halve unemployment."

He is also passionate about alleviating child poverty, and thinks it should be one of the main topics of current debate.

"I'm a firm believer in supporting those (poor) people in order to benefit people who are well off; and the economy would also benefit."

Being "slightly left wing", he likes the Labour Party's policies on child poverty, the Green Party's environmental policies and the National Party's economic and fiscal policies.

"All of the above are contributing to a better New Zealand."

Next year Timothy will be studying law and commerce at Victoria University in Wellington. He will be able to go to electorate functions with Mr Borrows, when he has free time.

Mr Borrows said: "You learn so much about what's happening in your electorate that way that you wouldn't know about but for the job."

Timothy would like to hear from electorate youth about their concerns, so that he can represent them in Parliament. Send him an email at timothyroweyouthmp@gmail.com.