Hastings teen believes parliamentary opportunities are important to give youth a voice

Karamu High School head student Lena Ormsby has been selected to Rito o te Pāremata. Photo / Rito o te Pāremata

At just 17, Lena Ormsby from the Ngāpuhi and Tainui iwi has gone from representing rangatahi in the Hastings district to one of eight young leaders representing rangatahi as part of the Parliament’s youth reference group.

The Karamu High School head student and former Hastings Youth Council chairwoman said she feels honoured to have been selected to Rito o te Pāremata.

Rito is a group of young people that advise the Office of the Clerk and the Parliamentary Service on how to engage with youth in Aotearoa.

Ormsby said she thought Rito would be an opportunity to build on her role last year as chairwoman, which she was grateful to experience.

“To go from local government to parliament and see how everything fits in, what changes and what stays the same,” is what the Year 13 student said she was looking forward to.

Her school shared the link to Rito o te Pāremata with students and Ormsby applied, saying she is grateful to her teachers for encouraging her to pursue all opportunities.

Ormsby is passionate about increasing student engagement and awareness with opportunities like Rito.

“I am committed to creating and implementing inclusive frameworks in our country where youth are united, empowered and celebrated to pursue their passions, while expanding their network by connecting with like-minded rangatahi,” she said.

Ormsby recently flew to Wellington to meet others in the Rito programme.

“Attending our first Rito meeting was an insightful trip as I was able to understand how certain frameworks and systems work on a parliamentary level.

“This was especially interesting to me, as it built on previous experience as 2022 chair of the Hastings Youth Council and the current systems our own community has in place,” Ormsby said.

A highlight of the Karamu head student’s trip was meeting with Speaker of the House Adrian Rurawhe and having the opportunity to personally connect with other MPs.

“This was a significant moment as it was humbling to connect with such individuals in person, rather than merely seeing them on the news.

“Communicating with Rurawhe and some of our country’s MPs personally was a welcomed reminder that we are all human despite rank, title, or career,” she said.

This year, Ormsby hopes to prioritise addressing youth voice, as she believes that is how communities grow and learn, especially when ensuring safety and opportunities for success.

“It was clear as a group we shared the common goal of prioritising countrywide secondary school engagement with parliament to ultimately deepen understanding of how parliament works and where youth voice has the most power to influence positive change.

“Our voices as rangatahi are powerful and can be listened to effectively with the right resources. The possibilities are endless, which is what makes this opportunity so exciting.”

Karamu High School principal Dionne Thomas said she is very proud of Ormsby.

“Lena has such a passion and strong kete of skills for leading and representing her peers from a school level to regional level and now a national level.”