Seed Waikato keen to get young voters into the booths this election

With the impending election later this year, Seed Waikato have thrown their hand in support of getting more voters to the booths, aligning themselves with Wintec – Te Pūkenga School of Media Arts students currently campaigning their Youth Vote 2023 initiative with the YWCA.

Seed Waikato, who’s goal is to create young people in the region a chance to ignite their potential and build a thriving world together, decided to come along for the journey after hearing the pitch idea a couple of weeks ago on their campus.

Digital Coordinator for Seed Waikato Hayley James says, “It’s important for young people to vote in the upcoming election (and any other election), because it is a chance for their voices to be heard. Young people are facing a lot of huge issues in their lifetime like climate change, the cost of living and the housing crisis and if they don’t have their say, these decisions will be made for them”.

Hayley James, front left, at one the events that Seed Waikato run to help young people strive to better themselves. Photo/ Seed Waikato

James understands that around election time, it can be difficult for young voters to decide who to vote for, especially with parties making so many promises if they are elected in, while still juggling which party aligns with their core values.

An awesome initiative to get young voters to the booths this year by Seed Waikato, is holding Instagram and Facebook Live events with candidates in the Waikato regions electorate. The 30 minute talks will be a way of connecting the candidates with the young population and telling them about their policies, with young voters also being encouraged to ask questions that they might have with election day coming up.

Seed Waikato works to support youth engagement in Kirikiriroa. Photo/ Seed Waikato

The schedule for the event be, with all Facebook and Instagram pages going live around 7pm all nights :

Tama Potaka (National) – 4th of September
Nania Mahuta (Labour) – 5th of September
Ryan Hamilton (National) – 12th of September
Georgie Dansey (Labour) – 14th of September
Benjamin Doyle (Green) – 18th of September
Ash Parmar (ACT) – 19th of September
Myra Williamson (Labour) – 21st of September
Naomi Pocock (TOP) – 25th of September
Alex Corkin (TOP) – 27th of September
Susan Stevenson (ACT) – 28th of September

If you haven’t enrolled to vote in the election yet, there is still time. Head on over to vote.nz to have your say on who takes care of New Zealand’s government for the next 3 years. Voting starts on the 2nd of October, with the final day being the 14th of October.

The only question remains: Who will you decide to vote for???