PR: Political series for millennial generation launched

Two Auckland based young professionals have today launched a brand new political engagement series to help other young professionals get up close and personal with political leaders from across Aotearoa.

The series - Point of Order! - is designed to get more young people interested in politics and help them actively engage with their democracy.

“Point of Order! is our way of creating a space for our generation to both challenge and be challenged by political ideas,” says series co-founder Hamish Smith.

“Hearing new points of view is powerful and increasingly rare with the proliferation of social media. As the saying goes ‘Mixed company moderates; like-minded company polarises’,” Hamish says.

Co-founder Holly Bennett (Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao) says modern politics has become increasingly divisive.

“Robust debate is essential for a modern democracy; insolence, intolerance and ignorance is not. We want Point of Order! to be a place to debate policy, explore the virtues of all sides of an argument and have people leave our events feeling enhanced.”

The series, which will be run quarterly, kicks off on Wednesday 17 August at Textile Lofts in Parnell, with a debate on how best to secure New Zealand’s Economic Recovery.

Four of the youngest MPs in Parliament will debate how Aotearoa New Zealand can best secure its recovery from the pandemic, as we face unprecedented international disruptions and stare down the barrel of a recession.

Guest Judge for the event is Infometrics Principal Economist and Director, Brad Olsen, who will review the veracity of each political argument and crown an overall winner.

Our panellists are Arena Williams (Labour MP for Manurewa), Brooke van Velden (ACT List MP), Ricardo Menéndez March (Green List MP) and Simeon Brown (National MP for Pakuranga).

The event has been made possible by delivery partners Awhi, Engage and Lumo Digital alongside event sponsors Textile Lofts, Cater Station, Ārepa and Flock Events.

More information on the Point of Order! series can be found at www.pointoforder.co.nz. A limited run of 100 tickets have been released and are available now via Eventbrite.