These were the principles and the proposed elements of a vision for the future as determined by the work of NZ’s young people during 1987 as part of the consultation and work for the Royal Commission on Social Policy’s engagement work.
They were developed by National Youth Council’s consultation on Rangatahi: Youth Perspectives by three groupings within the council with funding from government. The groups were :
the Rūnanga Māori,
the Pacific Island Caucus
the Pākehā Caucus.
They were supported by more than a 100 policy recommendations which covered issues from mental health to peace; from more support for sexual abuse survivors to fairer rentals and better working conditions. What might today’s young people want and what just as importantly what would it take to regenerate the idealism of their younger years in the NZ youth of the late 1980’s?
Policy Principles
Firstly the young people’s submission outlined several principles. These were that any vision for young people’s future must include the following:
1 Co-operation, freedom, equality, choice and creativity.2 A relationship with natural resources, property and people being based on guardianship and conservation rather than owning and exploiting.
3 Technology that is people-based and developed for a reason, not just for itself.
4 The freedom for different people to develop in their own ways at their own pace.
5 Value for people support systems—family, wider family, friends, neighbourhoods and community in healthy interdependent relationships.
6 Active participation in decision making by those affected by the decisions.
7 Creativity valued in all areas (arts, music, speech,thought, science, writing, medicine, agriculture, education, etc.)
8 Truth in our systems, honesty in our lives, and faith in our actions
Vision for the future
This is a vision for the future to be added to,changed, and debated, without forgetting that it is a vision that works for the betterment of all. The elements that we feel need to be included in a vision for our future are:
1 Learning from our history who, and what, has gone before us.
2 A holistic approach—seeing things as part of a whole.
3 Co-operation, freedom, equality, choice, diversity.
4 Spiritual base to what we do—not confined to Christianity or a single concept—a spirituality that underlies our relationship to land, natural resources, our past, our future and each other.
5 A relationship with natural resources, property and people to be based on looking after and conserving, not owning and exploiting.
6 Technology needs to be people-based and developed for a reason, not just for itself.
7 The freedom for different people to develop in their own ways in tandem with other people.
8 Value for people support systems—family, wider family, friends, neighbourhoods and community in healthy interdependent relationships.
9 Active participation in decision-making.
10 Creativity valued in all areas—art, music, speech,thought, science, writing.
11 Need to celebrate, acknowledge, and value rites of passage from birth to death.
12 Enjoyment of life and celebration.
13 To achieve a balance of life and earth.
A very good document and very much of the current time, if only we would reflect upon this now and implement. It would appear that as a check list of our present status expressed as a Warrant of Fitness, this would be a fail. Our current vehicle is unsafe, nay, dangerous and not fit for purpose.