The area’s young people have been praised for their contribution to the submissions process for the Manurewa Local Board Plan.
The Manurewa Youth Council held four events in local schools to present a summarised version of the draft plan, encouraging young people to make their voices heard during the consultation process.
Manurewa attracted more than 900 submissions overall, by far the highest rate for any of Auckland’s 21 local boards, with the Youth Council responsible for about 300 of those submissions coming from a youth audience.
Board member Ken Penney says the Youth Council is an important part of democracy in the local area.
“We have heard before from some youth organisations that our young people don’t always feel included or listened to, so the value of the Youth Council’s work can’t be overstated.
“I’m always impressed by the quality of the presentations the council makes to us as a board, and the commitment not only to local issues, but national and international causes that these young people show.”
Fellow board member Anne Candy echoed that. “The youth voice does matter in Manurewa. The Youth Council’s efforts around the board plan were noteworthy and, more importantly, I think the final plan will reflect how important that voice is to us.”
