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Selling our rangatahi short

Posted October 10, 2014

Social Policy Analyst Alan Johnson's speech to the Society of Youth Health Professionals Aotearoa New Zealand Conference in Auckland on 10th October 2014.

The word ‘rangatahi’ is widely used in New Zealand to refer to youth or adolescents, teenagers and young adults. The word comes from a well-known Maori proverb or whakatauki: ‘ka pu te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi — as an old net withers, another is remade.’ This proverb does not just talk about old things being replaced by newer things, but of the potential embodied in these newer things. The reference to our youth as rangatahi is a reference to this potential.

Such a reference might be seen as somewhat ironic given the comparative lack of priority given to youth needs and youth issues within public policy. This lack of priority is apparent in policy areas such as employment, vocational training, health, and income support.

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