Tauranga MP Simon Bridges and Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller are on the lookout for their next Youth MPs to represent their regions – could it be you?
The next Youth Parliament will run in 2019 with our chosen Youth MP's participating in a programme from March 1 to August 31, including a two-day Youth Parliament event in Wellington on July 16 and 17.
'This is a fantastic opportunity for young people in our communities to engage in the political process, seek out and share the views and opinions of their peers, and even have a little fun,” says Simon.
'We are looking for applicants who are active in our communities, passionate about youth issues, politics or social change, and are willing to put their best foot forward for the Bay,” says Todd.
To apply you need to be aged 16 – 18 years old (inclusive) on 19 October 2018, live in the electorate that you apply to, and be prepared to work within the protocols and behavioural expectations of Youth Parliament 2019.
The selection process will involve three stages:

1. A cover letter explaining why you want to be the youth MP for Bay of Plenty/Tauranga accompanied with an essay exploring the following question:

'Do you think 120 MPs for New Zealand is too many? Explain your answer in 800 words”.

2. An interview process with shortlisted candidates

3. A social media voting system where the final two candidate's essays and profiles will be uploaded to the Facebook pages of Simon and Todd, whoever gets the most likes is awarded the position of Youth MP for Bay of Plenty and Youth MP for Tauranga.

'We are really looking forward to connecting with the young people in our communities, finding out what makes them tick, and putting them through a robust selection process to ensure we find the right people to represent our region” the MPs concluded.

Applications close on Friday September 21 and will need to be sent to: Youth MP, PO Box 581, Tauranga 3110