Join Rito o te Pāremata (Parliament’s youth reference group)
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, they 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.
Take a look at what past Rito groups have done:
- In 2021, the group created Rarapa, a four-part video series that shines a light on the different ways New Zealand rangatahi can engage with Parliament.
- In 2022, Rito launched an Instagram account to share content with the goal of removing misconceptions about Parliament.
- In 2023, Rito created a poster that went up across New Zealand to encourage young people to have their say in our democracy.
- Last year, 2024, Rito shared infographics and reels on their Instagram to teach young people more about Parliament.
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 things like 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.
Tō kete | What they will bring to the role:
We welcome applications if:
They are 16–20 years old (as at 1 April 2025).
They live in New Zealand and plan to live here throughout 2025.
They can travel to Wellington (all travel costs to and from Wellington will be covered).
Some of the key skills we’re looking for:
Good communication skills
Ability to work well in a team
Enthusiasm
Ability to demonstrate political neutrality when representing Rito o te Pāremata
They don’t need to have held any leadership positions or have any previous knowledge of Parliament to apply! We’d love to hear from anyone who is interested.
Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply
Application is a three-step process:
- Students can click on the “Apply, I’m interested” button and create a profile.
- Answer the questions on our application form.
- Attach their submission.
In their submission, they should tell us about themselves and select two of the prompts below to answer:
Tell us 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?
They can answer the prompts in any format they would like! For example, they could:
Create a slideshow
Write a blog
Make a short video or animation
Send us a cover letter and CV
Create a website
Write a poem or short story
Please note: If they would like to submit 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 can they include a link as part of your submission document. Feel free to contact the team by email rito@parliament.govt.nz should you have any questions or issues with this step.
There is no right or wrong way to apply. We’re interested in how they answer the prompts, rather than the format they choose. Also, if they have any support or accessibility requirements, we encourage them to tell us when they apply so we can assist them through the recruitment process.
Applications close at midnight on Sunday, 16 March 2025.
Me he pātai anō | For further enquiries, or to arrange a confidential kōrero, please contact the team by email rito@parliament.govt.nz.
Please note: We will be screening applications as we receive them to move swiftly to interview shortly after the advert closes. Depending on application numbers, this date may change. They may be asked to complete a pre-interview screen via phone or video.
