What a busy last couple of weeks it has been!
I recently hosted the Parliamentary Trust netball and rugby games in Porirua. The purpose of the games, which see Members of Parliament from across parties join forces to play against community based teams, is to raise funds for a chosen charity.
I am excited to announce that from a cocktail night, debate and auction fundraiser I held the night before, and the gold coin entry fee to the games, I raised just over $30,000. All proceeds will go to the Porirua Youth Grants fund, a fund that I established for young people aged 8-18 years, excelling in art and culture, sport and education. The first lot of grants will be distributed later in the year.
From there it was back to Parliament to support my Youth MP Max Scott from Aotea College, who was participating in this year’s Youth Parliament. Max, along with 121 other young MPs gathered at Parliament this week to debate the question of when exactly one becomes a grown up and whether the drinking age should remain at 18 years. It was so fantastic to see a diverse group of young people participate in political matters.
And now it is up to Kāpiti where I am currently preparing for a gathering in Raumati on 26 July where the Minister of Youth Affairs, Paula Bennett will talk to selected businesses about the importance of employing young people. Currently there are around 178 unemployed young people aged between 18 24 years in the Kāpiti District and it is vital that there are employment opportunities for them local businesses are a vital key to their success and I look forward to meeting with them to discuss ways to support our young people.
For further information about any of the events go to www.hekiaparata.co.nz; or contact Hekia Parata’s office on (04) 233 0707 or by email to [email protected]