Pacific Youth MP champions climate action, social equity

A Pacific Youth MP says she is dedicated to voicing the impacts of climate change on the Pacific Islands and honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Jessica Tupai represents the Green Party’s Tamatha Paul in Wellington Central. Of Sāmoan and Tongan heritage, Tupai is part of the largest Pacific cohort in the 30-year history of Youth Parliament.

She was the 2024 National Champion of the Race Unity Speech Awards, an experience that inspired her to become involved in Youth Parliament.

Tupai is working with Paul’s office to foster community engagement and ensure that various perspectives are heard at Youth Parliament.

“I really wanted to take those sorts of skills and passion for public speaking and use it as a way to voice my community,” she says.

“One of the issues that we've been looking at is how I can do some community engagement, especially with the Pacific community, [on] climate change and the effects it has on our Pacific islands.

Photo/New Zealand Parliament

“Pacific climate change is a specific issue that I'm quite passionate about, but along with that, honouring Te Tiriti or Waitangi, [and] levelling the playing field and making sure that our Māori and Pacific people and youth especially have the same sort of opportunities.”

Tupai hopes to break down barriers for Pacific youth interested in becoming political leaders.

She says young Pasifika often struggle to find avenues for engagement and views opportunities like Youth Parliament as ideal for young leaders to voice their concerns.

“[There is] a lack of accessibility to understanding of how they can get involved, or what actually is Youth Parliament. How [to] get involved in speaking up for [communities] around the political issues that affect us,” she says.

As ethnic diversity in Parliament has declined following the 2023 election, Tupai says it is important to continue to promote Pacific leaders into leadership roles.

Watch Youth MP Jessica Tupai's full interview below.

She believes it’s crucial to present politics as a viable career option for young Pasifika. Tupai encourages rangatahi to recognise the power of their voices in serving their communities.

“As Pacific people, one of our strongest values is reciprocity and giving back to our community, serving our community. I think that sometimes what's not [as] recognised is using your voice and speaking up on issues can be a way to give back.

“I think that the Pacific youth of Aotearoa should think about how they can get involved.”

Youth Parliament will take place in Wellington on 1 and 2 July. It will feature 120 Youth MPs and 20 members of the Youth Press Gallery.