There are some big issues front of mind for young Central voters who have the ability to vote for the first time. 

Young people the Central App has talked to are passionate about issues like the voting age, climate change, tax, and fees-free tertiary study. 

Most New Zealanders who head to the polls in October will be used to our three-year parliamentary cycle. However, it’s all new for the wave of first-time voters who are taking time to ‘school up’ before October. 

Dunstan High School year 13 students have been learning about parties and the elections during school. Recently, students were visited by local Central Otago District councillor Tamah Alley who explained the importance of participating in democracy.

A big source of political information for young people comes from social media, and parties like National and Te Pāti Māori have been busy creating TikTok (a social media platform) videos targeted at youth.

Some young voters are excited to voice their opinions on issues concerning them. 

“One of the factors that drives who I’ll vote for is if a party is realistic,” a first time voter told the Central App.

“So many parties are putting out policies that seem unattainable. I think it’s important to vote someone in who can deliver.” 

Some young voters already have an idea about what they think will happen at election time. 

“There’s no doubt that either Labour or National will get the big role. However, I think that the smaller parties will receive a much higher percentage of the votes. 

“New Zealanders seem ready for a change in government,” another young voter said.

In the last general election (2020) there was an 82.2 per cent turnout of eligible voters - up from 2017 with 79.8 percent of eligible voters having their say.

Follow these links to find information on Central’s local candidates for Southland (ACT, Greens, Labour, and National) and Waitaki.