Following a successful term for last year’s cohort, twelve young Rotorua locals have been selected as the 2025 Youth Councillors for Rotorua Lakes Council.

Mayor Tania Tapsell and Councillors welcomed the new Youth Council in a pōhiri on Friday, January 31.

Mayor Tapsell, who was previously a youth Councillor, played an integral role in re-establishing the popular Youth Council for 2024.

“The Youth Council provides an important opportunity for young people to give back to their community, grow their skills, and ensure a youth voice is heard by our Council,” said Mayor Tapsell.

“We were proud of what our Youth Council contributed last year and can’t wait to start working with this year’s youth Councillors to help develop their leadership skills and understand how they’d like to contribute to a better Rotorua.

“We’ve had another year of very strong applications and look forward to seeing what this passionate group will deliver throughout 2025”, said Tapsell.

Selected from 24 applications, the eleven new Youth Council members, alongside one returning officer, will have the opportunity for personal development in leadership skills, public speaking, project management and civic engagement. They will also have the chance to advocate for local youth on a range of topics and play an active role in shaping the local community.

Rotorua Youth Council 2025:

Ashmit Danney (John Paul College)

Basti Remaldora (Rotorua Boys High School)

Dean Richardson (returning officer) (Rotorua Boys High School)

Justin Anaru Murphy (John Paul College)

Katelia Mita (Rotorua Girls High School)

Kevin Wu (John Paul College)

Maya Vita Iris Blackman (Western Heights High School)

Rooni Perera (John Paul College)

Sampreeti Raikar (Western Heights High School)

Samuel Makara-Fang (John Paul College)

Siniva Teague (Rotorua Girls High School)

Tyler Magnus Paul (John Paul College)

The 2025 Youth Council will focus on three main projects during their term:

Rotorua Lakes Council Annual Plan 2024/25 - Youth Councillors will have the opportunity to directly influence the Council’s Annual Plan. By sharing their ideas and insights, they will help shape decisions on issues that matter to young people in our community.

Digital Youth Engagement Plan Launch - The Youth Council will implement the Youth Engagement Strategy (created by last year’s Youth Council) by connecting with taiohi where they are. Youth Councillors will play a key role in launching a fresh, digital engagement plan designed to connect with young people on the platforms they know best, giving them a stronger voice in local matters.

Creation of civic engagement materials for taohi - Youth Councillors will create user-friendly materials to demystify local government, helping young people understand their rights, roles, and pathways to civic action in Rotorua- especially important in a local government election year!

Fisher Wang was a Youth Councillor in 2016 and says the programme offers numerous benefits for participants, including youth development and a chance to build leadership skills.

“Rangatahi are passionate about complex issues that will have a big impact on their future and they want to have their views acknowledged and considered”, said Councillor Wang.

“Through the Youth Council there are opportunities for rangatahi to gain valuable leadership, teamwork, and communication skills, while also enhancing personal development and cultivating a sense of empowerment and commitment to positive change in our community.”

"It's been great to see how the first cohort of Youth Councillors have successfully developed their skills and shown their leadership potential. They demonstrated their commitment to our community and together with staff, were instrumental to the success of our inaugural Youth Council. This will only grow stronger with this year's cohort of leaders and I'm very excited to see how they progress throughout the year."