Young People's Voices in Community Decision Making

This Spotlight article was written by Sian Carvell in April 2025.

Sian has worked in the education and engagement sector for over 25 years, with the majority of that focused on the natural environment and climate change. She has particular interest and expertise in climate change education and intergenerational equity. Sian has experience working with children and young people directly as well as teachers, businesses, and Local and Central Government. 

This article is part of a series of case studies based on the experiences of educators, students, councils and communities who have used the Climate Change Learning Programme. This case study is aimed at local councils and environmental education providers who wish to learn more about the importance of children's rights and how to authentically involve young people in local decision making.

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Young People's Voices in Decision Making

We all work, live and play within communities. The communities we connect with may change and be guided by where we live (regions, towns, suburbs, neighbourhoods), or by a common interest, culture or generation. Being part of a community can help us feel connected to something larger than ourselves. They provide a sense of belonging, support, and identity, and can reduce stress and isolation (Psychology Today, 2023).

When it comes to decision making, a responsibility of our local council is to enhance the social, environmental, economic, and cultural wellbeing/hauora of their communities, ensuring a safe and thriving environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging (Local Government NZ). The council achieves this by engaging with and listening to its communities.

There will be people with strong opinions, and leaders in the community can help with that because they are part of the community. Otherwise, in a big or strong community, outside people coming in telling them what to do, they will be like ‘Oh, they are not part of our community; look at them coming in here telling us what to do’. 
- Yr 8 student, Lyttelton Primary School 

The Children’s Convention: A right to be safe, healthy and to have a say!

Children and young people don’t live, learn, and grow in isolation, but as part of families, whānau, hapū, iwi, and other communities. They have the same basic human rights as adults but also have additional rights in recognition of their special need for protection. Children – particularly younger children – are dependent on adults (such as parents/caregivers and teachers), to support them to develop and thrive.

Children’s rights are set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, often referred to as the Children’s Convention. The Convention outlines the 42 special rights that children have over and above their basic human rights.

Those rights loosely sit under three main headings - the right to be safe, healthy and to participate in things that interest and affect them.

The Children’s Convention is the most widely accepted international human rights treaty in history. It has been ratified by 196 countries, including Aotearoa New Zealand who signed it on 6th April 1993.

When the New Zealand Government signed up to the Children’s Convention, it agreed to promote, protect, respect, and fulfil the rights of all children. 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand, so the Children’s Convention must be applied in this context. Aotearoa New Zealand’s history, including the adoption of British laws, the Treaty of Waitangi, te ao Māori, and the impact of colonisation, all provide a unique setting in which international children’s rights can be integrated into domestic laws and practices (Mana Mokopuna, 2018).

Having a say in things that interest and affect them

Children and young people provide unique perspectives and wisdom. Meaningful engagement with children and young people often leads to programmes, services and policy development that are more relevant, appropriate, and responsive to their needs (Child and Youth Wellbeing, 2022). 

Therefore, when engaging with their communities, councils should include engaging with children and young people. They are ‘key stakeholders’ in their own right. But many councils, although keen, are unsure where to start. The case study below provides an example of how children and young people’s thoughts and ideas informed local government climate change policy and plans. 

Children’s rights and climate change

An effective response to climate change will require us to think altruistically, for  the good of everyone. One of the ways we can do this is by connecting with the intergenerational community responding to the problem. We all play a part in what is happening now, and we are all responsible for what happens next.

However, for children and young people in particular, there is a clear sense of urgency. The dangers of climate change are all they have known: a planet, a way of life, and a future under threat. The planning and decisions that are being undertaken now will impact them the most - therefore, their investment in the problem, and in the solutions, is greater.

Intergenerational equity was first defined by economist James Tobin in 1974 as “The trustees of endowed institutions are the guardians of the future against the claims of the present” (Common Fund, 2020). It is often referred to in environmental contexts, as children and young people will disproportionately experience the negative consequences of environmental damage, especially those caused by climate change.

The United Nations Committee for the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) recently released General Comment No. 26 (UNHR, 2023). This is the UNCRC’s guidance on how children’s rights are impacted by the climate crisis and suggests what governments must do to uphold these rights to ensure that children live in a clean, healthy, and sustainable world. Aotearoa New Zealand will need to report to the United Nations Committee on progress they have made in protecting children’s environmental rights. 

In a recent 2023 review of Aotearoa New Zealand’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNCRC urged our government to “include all groups of children in adaptation and mitigation work”, and to enable children and young people, particularly Māori and Pacific children and children in low-income households, to “meaningfully participate in climate change planning and decision-making” (United Nations Human Rights, 2023).

Case Study: Children’s voice in climate change policy

Since mid-2020, the Christchurch City Council has been supporting the delivery of the climate change learning programme in Ōtautahi Christchurch schools. The engagement is part of the council’s wider Coastal Hazard Adaptation Plan (CHAP).

“They understood the concepts, and they were familiar with the terms and language and stuff that we were using. So, it was a case of not talking down to them. But also, not using, you know, Council jargon and stuff. Climate jargon's fine, because they understood all that, but not the Council stuff.”
- Cr. Sara Templeton, Christchurch City Council (Ryder, 2023)

Some key messages came through from the children regarding their awareness and what they wanted from climate change participation and education:

• Children are very aware of climate change and its complexities. 
• They are keen and able to learn and be involved. 
• They are asking to be part of the conversation, the planning, and the implementation, including the need and want to be heard and to be taken seriously. 
• They are wanting a rich, truth-based education. 
• They are wanting to be supported through opportunities to share their thoughts and ideas, to act and to connect with and protect nature.

Watch “We Asked to be Heard” short documentary about the students who submitted on the Council’s Coastal Adaptation Framework. 

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“This is an important thing for kids to know and learn about because we will be moving, and we can think about future problems and choosing not to live so close to the sea – we can make more informed choices, and it also allows us to influence.” -  Yr 8 student, Chisnallwood Intermediate, 2022.

An unforeseen but successful offshoot of the Council’s CHAP engagement was the formation of ‘Next Generation Conservation’ (NGC) – a consultation group of children and young people aged 11-16 – in 2021. During this early stage, the NGC worked with the Council on the development of the city’s Coastal Adaptation Framework.

“I mean, they had a huge impact…they ended up changing some of the approach to focus, you know, specifically on education as a piece of what we're doing as well. So, it was a hugely valuable exercise.” 
- Katy McRae, Christchurch City Council (Ryder, 2023)

Since the engagement with the Coastal Adaptation Framework in 2021/22, the NGC has consulted on the National Adaptation Plan and subsequent select committee on adaptation planning, the Ministry of Transport system shift and generational investment work, Environment Canterbury’s Climate Action Plan and further adaptation engagements with the Christchurch City Council. These efforts have had an enduring impact on the representation of children and young people in Council and community and have laid the groundwork for intergenerational equity to be reflected in local government climate policy across the motu.

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As stated in Ryder’s thesis (2023) “the legacy of children’s participation in the Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan can be seen in a range of political, personal, and institutional outcomes. Their submission and deputation had a direct influence on the Coastal Adaptation Framework, strengthening aspects of sustainability, education, and inclusion, which will have tangible outcomes for community climate adaptation.”

“Additionally, in demonstrating the value that children’s participation brings to decision-making, children and young people contributed to the ongoing and essential work of shifting attitudes towards children’s capabilities as citizens. At the personal level, the experience of empowerment for the students and the validation of their agency as changemakers created its own personal legacy, which will live on as their lives unfold.” (Ryder, 2023)

The NGC continues to meet regularly after school to discuss policy issues and engage with and work alongside decision makers, local, national and international.

Useful Resources 

Te Mahi TIKA mō a Tātou Mokopuna - Doing what's RIGHT for mokopuna (Mana Mokapuna, 2024) A free digital booklet available for download below in English and te reo Māori. It sets out all rights under the Children's Convention and explains the UN Committee's Concluding Observations on New Zealand in a way that children and young people will enjoy reading.

“Keepin’ it real” Youth Development Engagement Guide - A resource for involving young people (Ministry of Youth Development – Te Manatū Whakahiato Taiohi, 2023)

Street Art: Children’s Voices and Climate Action

Climate Change Learning Programme

References

Common Fund (2020), How Can Trustees Achieve Intergenerational Equity in the Face of Rising Costs? Retrieved 17-Feb 2025.

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Child and Youth Wellbeing (2022) - Tools & Guides Engagement with children and young people: Best practice guidelines.

Mana Mokopuna (2018): Rights: Now! Engaging with children on matters that affect them (p6).

Psychology Today (2023) - The Importance of Community. A community can help us to feel connected to something larger than ourselves. Retrieved 10th Feb 2025.

Ryder, A (2023). “We’re Here, the Next Generation”: Exploring Possibilities for Children’s Citizenship in Local Climate Policy in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

United Nations Human Rights (2023): Launch of general comment No. 26 (2023) on children’s rights and the environment, with a special focus on climate change (cited 13^th May 2023).

‍United Nations Human Rights (2023): Committee on the Rights of the Child Closes Ninety-Second Session after Adopting Concluding Observations on Report of New Zealand et al (para.34).