There is not a single representative on the council under 30 years of age.

With the next local government election just a year away, getting more young people elected is a challenge across the country, and Tasman is no exception.

Although the constituency has 14 elected members (mayor and 13 councillors), none of the current Tasman constituency representatives are under 30 years of age, unlike almost a third of its residents.

Joni Thomsett was 29 years old when she ran for council in the last election. She missed only 22 votes.

She previously served as a Motueka community councilor and then ran for council in the hope of ensuring the area’s development trajectory matched the future she believed her generation envisioned.

“Tasman District Council faces many significant challenges in housing, transport and the environment, and planning to address them in a sustainable manner is a big job,” she said.

“I wanted to get involved.”

A strong advocate for representation, Thomsett said everyone experiences the neighborhood differently and young people can bring different perspectives to the table when considering change.

But getting onto the board is not without obstacles.

Understanding the board’s processes and the complex issues facing the district, as well as financial sacrifice, were key obstacles for Thomsett.

“It is important to recognize how limited the time and financial resources of some young people are, and participation in Soviet processes can take quite a long time for people,” she said.

Richmond Youth Council members agreed.

Vice-chair Bonnie Hughes, 15, said considering the perspectives of young people is “vitally important” but she would not currently consider running for council in the future.

“It’s hard for a young man to do that.”

Awareness of the advice was low because it wasn’t taught in school, she said, and young people were further discouraged from taking up running due to the “insane workload” and low remuneration that made it difficult to raise a family.

Youth council member Jack Hall, 14, agreed, adding that there are social barriers in people’s perceptions of who should sit on the council.

As a result, Hughes said, “the views of young people are not heard because there is not that balance of ages and representation.”

Hall cited a lack of input from young people as a problem.

“We are also a voice that needs to be heard because… we are the future.”

Protecting the district’s future for youth is a priority for Councilwoman Trindy Walker, who serves as the district council’s representative on the Richmond Youth Council.

“If we don’t listen to their voice and see what their needs, wants and desires are, they won’t be here.”

She said there were many barriers to young people’s participation, from remuneration to local government structure, but her current priority was to try to change perceptions.

“There is a big gap between what they (young people) think local government is and the role they could play and what they can currently see or accomplish.”

But across the road in Nelson, perceptions already seem to be changing. Three of the city’s 13 elected representatives are under 30 years old.

Deputy Mayor Rohan O’Neill-Stevens, 24, is the city’s youngest councilor and said there has been an “amazing increase” in the number of young elected members across the country.

In 2016, only 7.2 percent of elected representatives were under 40 years of age. This figure has more than doubled in subsequent years, to 14.6 percent in 2022.

“When you don’t have that kind of representation, it’s hard to see local councils as a space that you should be or belong in, and fortunately that’s something that’s changing quite quickly.”

They said issues such as climate change and housing unaffordability were “driving forces” encouraging young people to enter politics.

“We’re seeing young people understand that if they want to make the future-focused decisions that we need, they really need to get into this space and make it happen. No one will come to do it for them.”

Nelson Youth Council chairperson Eila Turner, 17, agreed the “stigma” around young people getting involved with the council was decreasing.

“We’ve come a long way, it’s on the rise.”

Better representation of the city’s various demographics has helped improve community understanding and decision-making, she said.

“It means there’s not as much of a generation gap,” she said.

“We may not have lived as long as these people, but we have all had different experiences.”

Turner encouraged young people who truly care about their community and are thinking about running for council to do so.

“It’s that concern that makes up the board,” she said.

“We have an important voice, and a voice that needs to be heard.”

Thomsett now lives in Australia and will not be standing next year, but she said the constituencies could “receive a huge benefit” from a youth perspective.

“You will learn as you go, and there are a lot of people who will be happy to help you.”

Local Democracy Reporting is local government journalism jointly funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.