While most students spent their holidays relaxing and enjoying not being at school, Year 12 Tamara Livingstone used hers to spend some time at Government House, asking the tough questions in her role as Youth MP for the Kaikōura Electorate.

To say that Tamara Livingstone is busy is a bit of an understatement. On top of school and work commitments, Tamara is also involved with Youthline Marlborough, and just took out 1st prize in the Regional Aotearoa Race Unity speeches.

The 17 year old spent her recent birthday in Parliament, undertaking "Youth Parliament", which takes place every three years. During her trip, she was able to present a question to a minister,  so she asked The Honourable Chris Hipkins, Minister for Education, how the Government plans to support improving skills in Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language. She also chaired the Youth Parliament Education and Workforce Committee, which discussed how Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) can be improved across New Zealand Kura.  They discussed how many of the topics involved in RSE are often skipped or glossed over as teachers might not have correct information or might feel uncomfortable discussing the subject. She then had 5 minutes to prepare a speech and present it to the house, which she described as being quite stressful. 

Tamara has been the Kaikōura electorate youth MP since 2021, a position she applied for after emailing our local MP Stuart Smith. While the position was not open at that time, she kept her eye on notices and information as to when it would happen, and applied via video application, in which she had to sell herself as the best candidate for the job. 

Politics is a possible career path for Tamara, as is advocacy. Whatever Tamara chooses to do in the future, we know she will represent our school well and wish her all the best.