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As you know, The Hive is a diverse group of young people between 16-24 from across Aotearoa who are passionate about making positive change here and around the world.
February is a time of change for us too – whether that means starting back at school or uni, getting results back, or finding our feet in new halls of residence or new flats. But amongst it all, we’re stoked to be back in your inbox, bringing you more thoughts, more feels and more vibes from The Hive and from young people around Aotearoa.
For us, raumati has been a chance for reflection and reconnection, and while we’ve not yet had a chance to sink our teeth into big pieces of Hive work, we have had a chance to come together and reflect on the issues that are facing our world. So, as we sift through the big issues that motivate us to act, this newsletter is all about reflection – taking a moment to pause before moving forward with clarity and purpose.
In this edition of The Hive Quarterly, you can check out:
In February, The Hive came back together for the first time in 2025 and got talking about the issues that felt big for us this year.
To visualise the big picture and help us navigate 2025, we’ve plotted the significant issues on a compass. We covered a lot, but these were the three top-of-mind issues that felt like true north for all of us.
This was the summer of bumper submissions. Whether it was engaging on the Treaty Principles Bill, the Regulatory Standards Bill, the Fast Track Approvals Bill or others, more New Zealanders had their say over summer than ever before.
The Treaty Principles Bill itself smashed records with over 300,000 submissions, a figure that is three times higher than the previous record (107,000 submissions for the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill in 2021).
While there’s many reasons for such high engagement, what this does show us at The Hive is how New Zealanders are increasingly engaging in our democratic processes, which we love.
We particularly liked seeing so many social media accounts out there unpacking issues in understandable and bite-sized ways, something that increases accessibility and supports a wider audience engaging on the issues that affect all of us. Because at The Hive, that’s what we’re all about.
Young people are the highest users of public transport in Aotearoa, so increases in public transport fares significantly affect us. Therefore the recent requests from the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to local councils to increase their fares is an issue we’re keeping our eye on.
In January it was announced that there would be a 5% fare hike in Tāmaki Makaurau, and while fares for students are currently only $1 across Ōtautahi Christchurch, this could see large increases in the next year.
Significant fare increases like this affect young people getting to school and university, and can impact attendance rates. They also encourage people to choose the car over the bus or train. It’s definitely an issue we’re gonna keep on our radar and you may be hearing more from young people in 2025 on this important kaupapa.
This is a big, unwieldy one but what’s happening beyond our shores has been hard to ignore. Increasingly, we see how what’s happening out there can hugely affect us here.
It’s something that was clearly on top for lots of us when we caught up recently. Times of big change can make us question the stability of international systems, and sometimes it feels like, for lots of us, we’ve not seen this level of global political instability in our lifetimes.
So while we’re aware that there are important issues we’re focussed on here, we’re also part of a global political context, and more and more we’re aware of how that is knocking on our door.
For the first time since 2006, the biggest event in the youth sector’s calendar is going to be held in Ōtautahi Christchurch in August!
Involve is a chance for the youth sector to gather, connect, learn, laugh and be together. Find out more at the link!
Applications have just closed for Youth Parliament 2025, which will see up to 143 young people from across Aotearoa experience the political process, learn about how government works and represent their communities as Youth members of Parliament. Find out more here.
Recruitment for Season Five of The Hive will be kicking off soon! If you know of a young person who could be a great potential Hiver, feel free to let them know. They can get in touch with any questions at the link!
If you’re a public sector decision-maker, we can help you engage with young people and centre their perspectives in your mahi. Whether it’s about gathering insights about what’s on top for taiohi, or gathering youth perspectives on policies or reforms, we love finding ways to support your work, and helping to ensure the voices of taiohi are front and centre.
You can find more info on the different ways we work here, and feel free to get in touch with us any time!
