Rito o te Pāremata
Thursday, 6th March 2025 at 9:15am
Be part of Parliament's youth reference group - Applications NOW open!
Be part of Parliament's youth reference group - Applications NOW open
Rito o te Pāremata is a group of eight young people who develop and promote an annual project of their choice, with the aim of increasing youth awareness of, and participation with, the New Zealand Parliament.
The Parliamentary Engagement team are excited to announce that applications are now open for applications from rangatahi aged 16–20 wanting to join the 2025 Rito o te Pāremata group (Parliament’s youth reference group).
Mō te tūnga | About the role:
As a member of Rito o te Pāremata, the successful applicant will work with seven other young people on a project of their choice, with the aim of increasing young people’s engagement with Parliament. This project could be anything that the group chooses from hosting workshops in schools, community centres, or virtually to help teach people about ways to participate in democracy, to creating a mock select committee and inviting young people to submit on subjects they care about.
Members will get to engage with people who work at Parliament to learn more about the mahi that goes on behind the scenes. They could get the opportunity to discuss and give feedback on the Parliament website, our social media channels, or parts of the select committee submission process.
This is a paid opportunity. Members will receive the living wage on a casual contract and be expected to attend monthly meetings (in person and via Zoom).
Duration: April 2025 – December 2025 (exact dates to be confirmed).
More about Rito o te Pāremata
Rito was established in 2021 with the aim of improving youth engagement with Parliament. ‘Rito’ is the name for the new shoots in harakeke flax. Harakeke grow rito from the middle of the plant, protected by the more mature leaves on either side. The rito eventually become the mature leaves taking care of the new shoots. Through Rito o te Pāremata (Parliament’s new shoots), Parliament wants to nurture and inspire future voters. The name ‘Rito’ was chosen to symbolise the envisioned life cycle of the group – existing members nurturing new ones.
Applicant Criteria
- 16–20 years old (as at 1 April 2025).
- New Zealand resident and plan to live here throughout 2025.
- Ability to travel to Wellington (all travel costs to and from Wellington will be covered).
Tō kete | Skills needed:
- Good communication skills
- Ability to work well in a team
- Enthusiasm
- Ability to demonstrate political neutrality when representing Rito o te Pāremata
Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply?
You don’t need to have held any leadership positions or have any previous knowledge of Parliament to apply! The application is a three-step process: Click HERE
- Simply click on the “Apply, I’m interested” button and create a profile.
- Answer the questions on the application form.
- Attach your submission.
Within your submission, please include some information about yourself - you will be asked to select two of the prompts listed below to answer:
- Write about about a time you made a difference to whānau, friends, or people in your community.
- Why do you think it’s important for young people to know about Parliament and how it works?
- What do you think the biggest barrier to engaging with Parliament is?
Your submission can be in any format, such as:
- Create a slideshow
- Write a blog
- Make a short video or animation
- Write a Cover letter and CV
- Create a website
- Write a poem or short story
If you are submitting a video or audio file (or other relevant samples of your work or portfolio that is not in a Word, PDF or PowerPoint format), please include the URL link as part of your submission document.
Please note: Applications are screened and moved swiftly to interview process shortly after the closing date. Depending on application numbers, this date may change. Applicants may b asked to complete a pre-interview screen via phone or video
Applications close midnight Sunday, 16 March 2025.
Me he pātai anō - For further enquiries, or to arrange a confidential kōrero, please contact the team by email [email protected]
