The goal of getting 100% of tertiary students voting in this election is one all politicians should have, Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) President Rory Lenihan-Ikin says.
VUWSA is one of the 15 students’ associations from New Zealand’s tertiary institutes who have signed onto the #WeHavePower (WHP) campaign, launched on Monday, by the New Zealand Union of Students’ Association.
“It should be the goal of every politician, every election, to get 100% of the people they represent engaging in the democratic process.
“The #WeHavePower campaign is about acknowledging young people are political and want to be involved. If we mobilise the youth voting bloc this election, we could change the entire political landscape and the issues that dominate the discussion.”
With official launch of the WHP campaign and website (www.wehavepower.org.nz) on Monday, VUWSA is now looking to recruit student volunteers to steer the campaign.
Lenihan-Ikin says: “Much of what makes young people disengage with politics is that they are told they are too young or too inexperienced to make an impact, but that’s not true.
“Students have a virtually untapped well of knowledge and experience we hope to draw on to make this campaign successful.”
