Do it for Love - a youthful indiscretion made good

When I did it for the first time, I confess it wasn’t for love, it was for fun. My boyfriend and I had stayed out the whole night before and the next morning, still awake and restless we just thought, “Yeah, lets do it! Why not?” So we did and it was great!

But actually as thrilling as it was, it was just such a fleeting thing and ultimately futile. I knew there was no future in it.

But since then (only just a few years ago) I have learned some lessons. I realise now just how important it really is, that it does have a value and Yes, not only can it rock the world, it can change it.

Because there is so much change that needs to be made. We live on a beautiful, bountiful planet and in a vastly rich and plentiful country. Yet too many of our people are without support, disenfranchised, discriminate against and treated as second class citizens. And too many of them are young people.

Young people who are struggling through a schooling system that disrespects them and fails to give them the high quality public education to which they are entitled.

Young people who work in the crappiest, most exploitative and lowest paid jobs, and also support their parents and families, engage in community and sports, and study to build a better life for themselves and their future.

Young people who choose higher education but who have to take out massive loans so that just as they are ready to make a highly valuable contribution to our country they are burdened with crippling debt, some for the rest of their lives.

Young people who don’t know yet what path to take, don’t want to make a huge financial mistake with a student loan but who do want to contribute to the community and environmental work that our most vulnerable communities rely on.

And of course, young people who have a highly considered critique of the dominant system and its failures:
• the failed and farcical drug laws that cause more harm than good;
• the failure to provide clean water and safe food that doesn’t harm our environment;
• the failure to take serious action on climate change and peak oil out of an insatiable appetite for economic growth rather than justice.

The Greens know that the rejection of these serious concerns of young people is a rejection of our very future.

In 2005 when my friend Nandor launched our student support campaign, he said:

“Young people have been ripped off.

Robbed by a generation who want everything for themselves and want to leave nothing for the future. I don't just mean the obvious things, like clean air, cheap energy, abundant fisheries and forests and healthy waterways. I'm talking about the legacy of student debt.
Because when the generation that benefited from years of free education and economic prosperity came to power they didn't say "we had our education paid for and now its our turn to pass it on". No, they said "stuff you lot, we want tax cuts"

To pay for them, they proceeded to ram-raid the economy, with a program of privatisation, users pays and the transfer of public debt to private debt. And under National they introduced the student loans scheme.

I find it hard to describe that as anything other than intergenerational theft. A stealing of the future.”

3 years on and what has changed? Virtually nothing. The same generation who got it for free are charging you through the nose. The same generation who get the benefits of the tax cuts are making the next generation pay for it.

What do the Greens say? We say “Bugger that!, we can do better!” And this is a plan that will bugger up this conspiracy of thieves.

Its time for a decent wage for all, age be damned. The Greens scrapped youth rates, we helped to raise the minimum wage and we must now review the working age for very young, often exploited workers.

Its time to give young people more opportunities than being forced into crap jobs or debt laden tertiary education. We want to trial a community internship programme – a paid gap year for after school. If you want to work in the environment or for an NGO, to get experience out in the world, but need an income you should be able to a paid gap year.

Its time for urgent action on climate change and peak oil. The government’s commitment to more cows, coal and cars is driving this country to the brink of our ecological and economic limits. The Greens will take real action on climate change, make sure there is accessible cheap public transport and environmentally sound production of local healthy, safe food.

Its time to reform the cannabis laws. Young cannabis smokers are the most denigrated and abused of young communities. Young people should no longer have police spies in their classes, find themselves excluded from school or even arrested because of prohibition laws that are hypocritical and harmful.

Its time that all young people should be able to get healthcare that is accessible, confidential and free.

And its time for a Universal Student Allowance for all students from 16 years old who are in tertiary education. Half of the 10 billion dollar student loan debt is money for food and rent, because only about 1/3 of students can get an allowance.

Last year the NZUSA study Student Income & Expenditure Survey found that 90 percent of full-time students have paid work during the academic year, and 59 percent cite a stressful financial situation as a major concern.

Just yesterday Ministry of Education put out a report - Educational achievements of student support recipients. The report says that those who receive student allowances do better academically than those who don’t. And not only that, but they are twice as likely to successfully complete their studies. A universal student allowance pays off. It is economically justifiable and a crucial investment in our country.

For Maori students this is extremely important because despite the other parties trumpeting high participation rates, only about 40% complete their studies. The financial stress of trying to study on no money, especially for older students say 20-24 who have kids, is a killer of their passion for life long learning; a killer of the opportunity to get out of the poverty ghetto that the loan system forces them into.

We must have a Universal Student Allowance as the first step towards the elimination of the disgraceful, thieving student loan scheme.

The Green Party believes that young people deserve the greatest respect, protection and support. And over the last three years we have made significant gains in this. Our solutions to the serious concerns faced by young people do and will work. We don’t make up ideas just to fit the political whims of the day – our solutions are based on principle and are effective. We do what is right, because it is the right thing to do.

Y’know, its not often that I talk about my first time, as I have tonight. Yes, I confess I feel I have exposed a little of myself to you tonight. But not because I am ashamed of my previous youthful indiscretions. I couldn’t help but share it because I feel so lucky now that when I do do it, I truly am doing it for the right reasons.

So, if its your 5th or your 10th or your very first time, do it for Love - Love of this country, Love for yourself and for those who will come after you. Its time – Party Vote Green.