At the end of September, CivX delivered a series of workshops over four days to the Year 12 classes at Dilworth School in Auckland. A rotating team of facilitators went in to talk about the basics of governance, how MMP works, and discuss the preliminary results of the 2017 Election, including the role of minor parties in Parliament and the Maori electorate seats.

The students were incredibly engaged and offered their opinions on how to improve youth and overall engagement in elections, having discussed historical voting trends as well as current events with the facilitators in the workshops. The teachers joined in on the lively discussions, too. When asked if they would vote once they turned 18, everyone put their hand up! It was a fantastic result.

Yesterday, CivX was invited to Mahurangi College to present a series of workshops. Our facilitators Cate, Briar and Ishanee undertook a mini roadtrip to Warkworth to join fellow team member Julia at her school to provide some insight into New Zealand's electoral system and discuss some current topics, including compulsory voting and civics education in schools.

Here are some photos from the day:

We were interested to learn what students had to say about youth participation in elections, especially with the upcoming election later this month. The teacher gave some great feedback including how some students included the statistics we showed them in their own presentations about political parties and elections.

I don’t happen to care who residents and citizens vote for.

Well, ok to some extent I do because I obviously believe strongly in the policies that I and my party stand for, I believe strongly that our policies will provide a better now and future for my country and my community, which includes my mother (older generation), husband (current generation), children (next generation) and my yet to be born grandchildren (future generation). But at the end of the day I believe in democracy.

I believe in the ability to debate, without violence, different perspectives. I believe in the ability of every citizen to express their vote in confidence, without fear of reprisal, regardless of whether it is a “winning” vote or not. I am annoyed with those that use the phrase “wasted vote” when suggesting that those of us that wish to vote for a policy or a party that is not perhaps the mainstream.

A vote is not cast to win! A vote is cast to make a statement of belief! And I can tell you from experience that millions more dollars are spent by political parties on trying to find out why residents/citizens did not vote for them than has ever been spent on trying to find out why someone did.

My advice to the young people is to first of all establish what it is that is important to you. What do you believe in? Then once you know what is important to you go and check out every political parties policies on that topic. Check out the ones around it? Then decide your vote. Don’t rely on newspapers or TV reports to tell you what a party stands for, seek this information directly. Make up your own mind. Ask questions, debate the topic, leave room to change your view. Then vote.

Complain but Vote! It is once in three years, Vote !

Most young people want to vote they just haven’t decided who for, new research has found.

About three quarters of New Zealanders between 18-25 surveyed are planning to vote this coming election, but about 60 per cent are undecided which party will get their vote.

The highest ratio of intending voters came from Wellington at 82 per cent, and the lowest was in Auckland at 72 per cent.

Already, 17 per cent of voters in the South Island (excluding Christchurch) had chosen not to vote.

The respondents of the survey conducted by the Research Association New Zealand were 669 young New Zealanders spread across the country.

Participants were asked if at least one of the available political parties “represents your interests, values or beliefs”.

Only 46 per cent answered ‘Yes’.

Fourteen per cent of participants responded with ‘No’, and 39 per cent said ‘Not sure’.

Despite one quarter of respondents not planning on voting, 94 per cent said the right to vote was an important element of New Zealand democracy.

In the last election, 37 per cent of young people chose not to vote.

Earlier this year, CivX was invited to host an outreach session at the Aotearoa Youth Declaration, an annual event run by UN Youth New Zealand. It is the organisation's flagship civics education conference, run over a weekend, which aims to equip participants with an understanding of and appreciation for their places within their communities and how they can contribute to them.

CivX's outreach session focused on 'governance'. We covered some basic civics, including the current system of governance, Mixed Member Proportional and First Past the Post electoral systems, local government, and then headed up some discussion about the place of civics education in schools and youth voter turnout in recent elections.

Young people don’t just have potential to fulfil in later life, they can change their corner of the world right now.

JustSpeak came about 5-years-ago because a group of young people decided that they did not want to wait until they were old enough for their ‘potential’ to be taken seriously.

They could see that mass imprisonment, even back then, was one of the major issues facing our country and they had ideas about how the criminal justice system could be run differently. They wanted to do something about it right now. So they did.

Our passions are informed by our experiences. The more we know the more we want to change.

It’s no coincidence that most of our volunteers are studying the justice system at university or have experienced the justice system for themselves. It is through our exposure to injustice that we become motivated to create change. This is one of the reasons it is so important to incorporate honest national and local history and current issues into teaching.

Civic participation now looks different to a generation ago. We need to empower young people not only to have their say, but to redesign what participation means for them.

CivX team member Briar Colville caught up with David Clark, Labour Party MP for Dunedin North, to talk about civics education and youth engagement in politics.

What is your opinion on civics education in New Zealand schools?

Personally, I believe civics education should be compulsory and well funded in schools. Students should leave secondary school with a practical understanding of how to vote and the value of their vote.

Civics education is valuable for three reasons: first, the content of the discussions is important; second, on a personal level, it is important to for youth to see just how accessible local politicians are to aid them in a variety of ways; and third, it just feels like the right thing to do.

Education is about teaching people to think for themselves by giving them the tools and information. Civics education leads to engaged citizens who own political outcomes and engage with these outcomes.

What do you think about the voting age being at 18 years old?

It is my personal view that the voting age should be lowered. People are often concerned that young persons are not informed and thus should not be voting, but if we are providing a good civics education in schools then this critique has no real basis. In fact I suspect that a secondary student who has undertaken a civics education course in school may be more informed than many of the voting adults as to how our system works.

Research shows that if people start voting at a young age, they are more likely to be a ‘voter’ throughout their life, while those who do not vote young largely do not vote as they get older.

Government policies and decisions are going to affect youth much longer than the older generation who dominate voting figures, so their opinions should count – and to some extent, should count for more.

Your electorate office is effectively right on the University of Otago campus. How do you share civics education?

Our office location was a deliberate move to be between the university campus and the Dunedin CBD. I actively try to visit both the University and Polytechnic campuses to talk with students, and write a regular feature in the University student magazine and on occasion participate on student radio. I also deliberately try to visit several schools, and residential colleges at the University to speak about civics education broadly and specific social issues.

It is 80% about turning up – whether in person or online. It is about being present and a part of the discussions, ideas and concerns of constituents.

How do you think we can improve youth participation?

Deliberate engagement is very important. In my experience, youth are keen to participate and engage if you ask them to. It is easy to blame youth for a lack of involvement, but I think as society has become more atomised people tend to turn to people who are like them. For politicians often this is not the student age group.

It is also important to be available.

The heartening thing for me is that in the last 5 years or so there has been a much more engaged group of youth coming through who are prepared to challenge the assumptions they have grown up with, and think of creative solutions and act upon them.

It is the job of Parliament to create ‘Acts of Parliament’, or statues. These are the laws that we follow every day.This process begins when a Minister of Member of Parliament introduces a Bill to fellow members.

Step 1: Introduction

The first step is the Introduction of the Bill. The Leader of the House informs the Clerk of the House of the governments intention to introduce the Bill. Copies are sent around the House, and it is introduced to the House the following day by the Clerk.

Step 2: Consideration Time

After introduction, there is a three-day intermission to ensure that members have time to read the Bill and consider its implications. At the same time, the Attorney General examines the Bill to ensure that there is no violation of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 – a requirement of s 7 of the Act.

Step 3: First Reading

On the third sitting day following the Bill’s introduction, the first reading occurs. Only the title of the Bill is read aloud and Members of Parliament (MP) are given two hours to debate. (Only one hour for debate is allocated for private Bills).

At the end of the debate the House votes on the motion and if agreed to, the Bill is passed to the relevant Select Committee. If the Bill does not pass this vote it is dropped and removed from Parliaments agenda.

Step 4: Select Committee

The role of the Select Committee is to consider the contents of the Bill and its implications if it were to become law, and members of the public are invited to make submission on the Bill. The Select Committee has six months to examine the Bill and make any changes it deems necessary. A new copy of the Bill is printed with the amendments made by the committee and sent back to the Clerk with the Select Committee reports.

Step 5: Second Reading

The Second Reading now takes place. Members of the House are limited to 12 ten-minute speeches led by the member in charge of the Bill to debate the principles of the Bill. After this debate the House makes a decision as to whether to adopt the Select Committee’s amendments to the Bill that had not received unanimous support. A motion is now presented that the Bill be read a second time and if this motion is successful, the Bill enters the committee of the Whole House stage.

Step 6: Committee of the Whole House

The House organises itself into a Committee un-chaired by the Speaker and in which everyone belongs. The House delegates authority to this committee to consider the Bill in detail and make further amendments members make in writing using Supplementary Order paper. This is the only opportunity for the Bill to be debated clause by clause. There is a vote as to whether these supplementary orders should be included in the Bill, and the full Committee debate of the Whole House is reported in Hansard (Hansard is the official name given to the transcripts of these debates in NZ Parliament). The Bill then has its final reading the following day.

Step 7: Third Reading

The Third Reading is used for last minute debates and summing up the Bill. Debates may last up to two hours, however it is rare for Bills to be rejected at this stage. A motion to read is carried, and the Bill is ‘passed’ by the House.

Step 8: Royal Assent

Royal Assent is the final stage for the Bill, and brings New Zealand’s Sovereign into the law-making process. Two copies of the Bill are printed and signed and authenticated for Royal Assent by the Governor General. One copy is held in the Supreme Court in Wellington and the other remains with the Clerk of the House.

Although time consuming, the process of making laws in New Zealand is thorough. This ensures fair, workable laws that comply with those previously enacted. Depending on the nature and urgency of the Bill, the procedures in this article can be changed in order to push a Bill through faster.

The legal and political systems underpin how New Zealand works – or doesn't.

If something isn't working for us, by understanding how these systems work and engaging with them, we can create the changes that we want to see in the world.

I believe in the ‘wisdom of crowds’ and that collective decision making will always deliver better results than those made by an individual or clique. I guess another word for that is democracy. Democracy works best when we have informed citizens participating in decision making but what we’ve seen in New Zealand over the last few decades is in fact the opposite. This is especially true for young voters where only 65% of eligible 25-29 year-olds voted at the last Election.

One solution to declining youth political participation is civics education. I don’t mean ‘hand on heart, pledge of allegiance’ style civics, but straight-forward, non-partisan information about our democracy, Parliament and how people can become involved. It’s incredible that Kiwis aren’t given the basic information on how their country works; it’s like being encouraged to play a team sport without being told the rules.

Growing up in Gisborne, I wasn’t at all interested in politics but saw politics affect my town and community. I worked out that political decisions influence every aspect of our lives and it’s better to be involved than to simply be affected.

Civics education is a key step to understanding what’s going on in our country.

The Labour Party and Green Party will work together “to change the Government” in the lead up to the 2017 election.

On May 31, both parties made a joint announcement that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), promising to work together on political policy and campaigns in the lead up to the general election. This is the first time the parties have formalised their relationship. The MOU between the parties is an agreement to give each other prior notice and the detail of major announcements and speeches in a “no surprises” policy, in order to work co-operatively to provide New Zealand with the basis of a stable, credible and progressive alternative government at the 2017 general election. Greens co-leader Metiria Turei stated “New Zealanders want to see politicians working together. This MOU lets people see we are a strong and stable alternative to the current Government.” The MOU aims to provide support for each party’s Members’ Bills and enable greater co-ordination in Question Time and Select Committees where appropriate in Parliament. The MOU intends to help the parties work together on matters of mutual interest but also allows each party to express alternative views. The MOU only lasts until the election, and does not guarantee a coalition between the two parties. Labour leader Andrew Little said "in the end the voters will decide, and it will be after the voters have spoken that we will then be in a position to look at how a government is formed." For more information on the MOU click the link below: https://www.greens.org.nz/sites/default/files/MoU%20NZLP%20Green%20Party%2031May16.pdf

Civics matter because it helps us understand politics, and we rely on politics for the quality of our public policy. Quality public policy, in turn, determines what sort of wealth and health the average person in a country will enjoy.

Take Argentina, a country that is naturally very wealthy with a wonderful landscape and climate that is nonetheless very poor. Compare it to Hong Kong, which is extremely wealthy despite being a tiny Island with no natural resources to speak of. The difference is that Hong Kong is committed to private property rights, low and flat taxes, a stable money supply, and the rule of law.

If we want to live long and prosper in a democracy, then we need engaged voters who demand better and better public policy.

Laura O'Connell-Rapira is the campaign director at ActionStation and co-founder of RockEnrol.

If you: drive a car, catch the bus, ride a bike, have a job, don’t have a job, live in a house, don’t live in a house, use the Internet, sell stuff, buy stuff, eat at restaurants, enjoy parks, go to the beach, watch TV, go to the doctors and/or pay taxes then civics education - and the verb - civics participation is directly relevant to you.

Civics is “the study of the rights and duties of citizenship”. But I would argue that it’s not enough to study and reflect, you have to a) know how to take action and then b) take it.

Through representative democracy (which is what we currently have), power flows from the people to the leaders who make decisions on our behalf about the way our society works. These leaders choose where the billions of taxpayer dollars are spent each year, and decide our national priorities.

The problem is this system only works well when everyone is participating, because the rules are made by the people who turn up. So, if we leave out an entire community (i.e. young people), then the system is missing entire segments of society whose voice, values and vision are not being brought to the table. What happens is our leaders hear from the same groups of people over and over again and the cycle of inequality in representation continues.

This is why we need strong civics education, because education is an equaliser and enabler. When young people understand their own power, and have the confidence to use it, there’s no telling what they can do.

But we must be careful that the civics education we deliver teaches critical thinking and not conformity - possibility, not patriotism. The more that people know, the deeper they can question, engage, and participate.

A well-functioning democracy needs informed and active citizens to flourish. Civics education is an essential ingredient in that.

I still remember it to this day – the moment my social studies teacher took on the challenge of teaching my class about the political system in New Zealand. It wasn’t quite as dramatic as the time he taught us about Mahatma Ghandi while dressed in a sheet in the middle of a cold Waikato winter, but it was equally memorable. Was it the fact that he replicated an entire session of parliament, or the fact I was already a bit of a political nerd? Either way, it felt important.

I am a huge advocate for civic education. With so many significant (political) issues facing the next generation, it’s critical that they play a role in choosing the path we take as a country. Increasingly though, this is the very group who are being left out of our democracy. That has to change, and civics is part of making that change.

I grew up in a household where we talked about politics, but I still got to a point in my life where I realised I knew nothing about it. Some of my friends were taught sections of New Zealand politics, but my education, like a lot of other New Zealanders, skipped a couple of pretty important steps.

I didn’t mind learning how to find the angle of a triangle, but how to do taxes, your basic rights, and the ins and outs of contracts would have also been quite handy. I ended up doing a degree in politics just to find out how my own country works.

I’ve seen politics change people and I’ve seen people lose their friends and jobs over politics. I’ve seen the nasty side, but I also have seen the great side. Like when life changing, progressive laws were passed, or when I see young people excited about when they can have a say on important national issues.

In my ideal world, there would definitely be a few changes I would make to the political system. But knowing about civics I know by making submissions, writing to politicians, and exercising my democratic rights I can make my voice heard.

Learning civics is incredibly important. You can't participate properly without really understanding how the system works - at least that's what I realised when I learnt the system!

Voting is so much fun when you know the process, when you can identify key concerns of your own, and are able to vote on lines that compliment your lifestyle.

CivX is unique because this is exactly what it aims to do - empower New Zealand's next voters to think for themselves to build a better future as a whole.

My dad always told me: 'If you don't vote, you can't complain about the result!' and I think he was right; but more - how can you vote if you don't know the system?

I had my first taste of politics when I was in primary school. My year 3 teacher came from Peru and I was fascinated by her culture, accent and tales of the rainforest. I studied the rainforest in depth, learnt about deforestation and became an environmentalist from a young age. From then until now, my political philosophies have changed and evolved but I continue to keep a watchful eye on world affairs and global politics. When the time came to leave school, I knew a bit about Hone Heke, Suffragettes and New Zealand’s anti-nuclear stance, but what no one had told me was how my country actually functioned.

If I wasn’t interested in politics, I wouldn’t have bothered finding out.

Young people leaving school should understand the role they play in civil society because a well-functioning democracy needs active and informed citizens. We all should know where our money for taxes goes, how voting and elections work, and most importantly how our individual voice can impact collective decision making.

That's why I joined CivX. Civic education can help youths to question their society, understand their personal responsibility and get them involved. We can always do with more of that.