Watching the six o’clock news is starting to feel like watching a disaster film. The first story shown is either a murder, a ram-raid or a shooting. The second is a war update, sharing stories about Ukraine, Afghanistan, Somalia and more. The third shares new research about climate change and its role is accelerating devastating natural disasters. It’s no surprise that young people who keep up with the news tend to feel a sense of concern.
Nowadays, it is impossible to avoid this information. It’s on television, it’s on the radio, it’s in the newspapers, and worse, it’s on the internet. The internet has changed the way that we are introduced to information, with everything being accessible from the click of a button, or the press of a fingertip. Being exposed to certain information as a young person is inevitable. Hours are consumed scrolling through all different social media platforms, where people are free to post and share videos, posts and tweets which can provoke one’s thoughts about our society. When someone comes across a video sharing the impacts of global warming, or the recent robbery that occurred at a local family-owned shop, it’s hard for them to not be alarmed.
Being exposed to all of this information creates a sense of doom. It creates worrying questions around what our future and the future of our children will look like. In Aotearoa New Zealand some of these problems seem distant, our location far away from any wars. However, our country has its own issues. One of the most prevalent is crime and domestic abuse, and the statistics that are presented and experienced by the younger generation are truly worrying. In one year from June 2019-June 2020 there were over 7,200 recorded violent offences against children under the age of 15. Over a 15-year period starting from 2004, every 8th homicide victim in Aotearoa New Zealand was a child. We are supposedly one of the most peaceful countries in the world, so why can’t we protect our children and stop them from being hurt and even killed?
Another problem that New Zealanders tend to be facing is poverty, the recent recession causing more people to struggle to make ends meet. Poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand is having huge affects on our next generation. Over 15% of children are growing up in impoverished households within the country, these statistics not including children in emergency housing or children that are homeless. Child poverty rates were steadily declining to as low as 12% in 2021, but after the housing costs rose later that year more children were put back into these difficult and seemingly inescapable situations. This has previously resulted in alarming effects such as poor cognitive ability, higher disease risk and reduced education, with affected children often leaving schools with little or no qualifications. And it’s hard to break the cycle of poverty without a quality education, many children born into areas of less economic wealth suffering from the same issues as an adult and a parent. The cost of living in Aotearoa New Zealand has created so many different issues, but the innocent children living in poverty seem to be suffering the most.
When worrying about the futures of young people, it’s also hard to ignore the ever-looming darkness of climate change and the effect that this will have on our world as we know it. We have recently seen some of its impacts—Cyclone Gabrielle being the most notable. This severe weather event was exacerbated by the warming global climate, and it altered the lives of thousands of people in the Hawke’s Bay, being considered New Zealand’s worst storm of the 21st century. So if this is just the start, what is still to come? With the recent discovery of how fast our earth is warming, young people feel motivated to try and stop large companies from causing further damage. But we are small people with small wallets, so there's no incentive to change. And we are constantly reminded of the consequences, with statistics being blurted out reminding us that we only have until the 2030s to reduce our impacts on the earth, before the tipping point is reached and there is no return.
How can we not fear for our safety and our future, when issues like these exist? It is impossible to just sit there and wait for something to change, when these negative news stories are constantly fed into our brains. We are constantly reminded of the world’s issues, so it is inevitable that we are going to want to do something about it, to save our future. With the general election coming up, it is only understandable that young people are working hard to get their voices heard. Despite the fact that citizens under the age of 18 are unable to vote, many still attempt to project their concerns to politicians—the people who have the power to make change. I myself got into contact with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to see if he thought our world was a good one for young people. He replied “There is no doubt that your generation and the ones that follow you are inheriting a complex, challenging and ever-changing world.”
“However, I do also think the world remains an incredible place in which to grow up, and that there is hope for the future”
“I am a firm believer in our ability, as people, to collectively solve challenges—even the ones that feel impossible.”
These reaffirming words from the current Prime Minister can give hope to members of the younger generation, knowing that change is something that can be done. Each political party is working their hardest to secure votes in this upcoming election, and despite the fact that every theoretical promise may not come to fruition, there is a chance that some will.
Such as the removal of GST off of unprocessed products such as fruits and vegetables. During the past weekend the Labour Party announced that if they were elected into parliament they would cut all GST off of non-processed fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, saving each household just under $5 a week. This allows more people in poverty situations to be able to buy healthier products that have more nutritional value, as they will now be able to afford it. It is a step in the right direction, and it provides hope for the people who have been affected most by the cost of living crisis, especially children.
This shows that the politicians in Aotearoa are willing to attempt to make a change. Despite the fact that this plan is theoretical and may not actually be introduced, it is an idea that could lead to others of similar nature in parliament. I asked Hipkins what he was willing to do to change our world, specifically our country, to make it a better place for young people. He replied “While I do think the world (and Aotearoa New Zealand specifically) is a great place to be a kid, there are always things we could do to make it better.”
“That’s why the Government is focussing on what matters most to Kiwi families right now. We’re tackling the cost of living, facing up to climate change, keeping communities safe and helping families thrive so that Kiwi kids can be as optimistic about their futures as I am.”
Despite the fact that we can only really see the negatives, it doesn’t mean that our future is doomed. These issues are causing young people to become resilient advocates and leaders, creating a generation filled with strong people. The things that we see on the six o’clock news aren’t our fate. We aren’t an eternity away from fixing the world’s problems. We are the solution. You are the solution. Our world may not be a good one for young people, but young people are good for our world.
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