In late August, thirteen New Zealand schools took part in the Race for Survival. This year, the events helped Save the Children build momentum for the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals at the UN General Assembly. In the build up to the Race, students up and down the country were asked for their messages of hope for 2030. These included the rights to clean water, enough nourishing food, and safe and warm homes to live in. The right to a quality education was a strong theme in the messages, along with the right to have their voices heard.
New Zealand children expressed their desire for all young people to have the same opportunities in life no matter where they are born. One motivated school collected canned food items food for a local food collective, run by a nearby community.
Advocacy and Child Rights Manager Mercy Jumo said the enthusiasm for the Race this year was fantastic:
“One thing that really struck me was that children don’t want to be labelled or stigmatised according to where they may live or the school they go to.”
Save the Children’s young ambassadors then handed over their messages of hope to the New Zealand government at an event at Parliament on 16th September. The parliamentary breakfast was hosted by Dr. Shane Reti, a parliamentarian who is also a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. The event was well-attended and Members of Parliament really took time to listen to the wishes and to engage with the young people. Youth ambassador Jayden van Leeuwen delivered a powerful speech, outlining the four central themes which young people had identified as most important to them over the course of a six month long consultation. These were: education, rights and voice, access to food and clean drinking water, and safety. Jayden concluded his speech with the following words:
“Overall, the children and youth who have made submissions all seem to hope for one overarching achievement as a result of the SDGs. That is, that the world today’s leaders leave for the people of 2030, is one which we can be proud of. Whether the legacy of the SDGs is one of success or of failure remains to be seen. However, the youth of New Zealand sincerely hope that if the nations of this world can stand united in the desire to tackle global issues and bear in mind the fact that it us who will live with the consequences of today’s decisions, the SDGs will succeed.”