SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

Green Party MP Steffan Browning is excited to announce Patrick Gerard as his Youth MP for this year’s Youth Parliament.

Patrick is a 16 year old student at Nelson College, who from a young age has shown a passion for the natural environment around him, particularly in the Marlborough Sounds where he has grown up.

“Patrick follows a strong family commitment to the environment, and has been involved with beach clean-ups, collecting significant debris from the neighbouring aquaculture industry,” said Green MP Steffan Browning.

“Submissions and data collected by Patrick and his family have been used in Environment Court hearings, helping protect significant natural areas from inappropriate industrialisation.

“I am sure Patrick will enjoy the stimulus of the Youth Parliament and the important networking and collegial opportunities it will provide,” said Mr Browning.

Patrick hopes to use the experience of Youth Parliament as a chance to raise awareness about the environmental issues that he cares about, including the proposed changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA).

“Sustainability is a key focus for me. I believe our delicate and pristine environments should be managed in a way that ensures their existence for future generations,” said Patrick.

“I am excited about being a Green Youth MP because of the incredible opportunity it gives me to share my thoughts and hopefully gather other valuable points from like-minded teenagers who are likely to hold important leadership positions in the future.”

Youth Parliament takes place on the 16^th-17^th July this year, when all 121 Youth MPs come to Wellington to take part in select committees and debates in the House. The eight month tenure of the Youth MPs officially starts today.

Profiles of all Green Youth MPs are available here – http://blog.greens.org.nz/2013/05/01/introducing-our-green-youth-mps/

Tags: youth leadership, youth mp, youth parliament