5 September 2024 Resources
Resources from the Children’s Rights Symposium 2024
"Other young people aren’t getting the platform that we are getting. We are so lucky to bring their voices because their experiences are so real and they are going through it. Politicians need to hear it."
- UNICEF Young Ambassador
On the 1st of August 2024, the Children’s Convention Monitoring Group (CMG) hosted the Children’s Rights Symposium which focused on the priority areas of the Concluding Observations. The CMG is convened by Mana Mokopuna – Children and Young People’s Commission and we work alongside the Children's Rights Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand, Te Kahui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission, Save the Children New Zealand and UNICEF Aotearoa.
We would like to express great appreciation and gratitude for the 20 mokopuna that shared their voices and experiences with us at the Symposium. We acknowledge the power of your story and your karanga for a future where children's rights are protected under the Children's Convention and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We could not have hosted the Symposium without our presenters from:
- Te Whānau Mānihera
- VOYCE Whakarongo Mai
- I.Lead - YES! Disability
- UNICEF Youth Ambassadors
- Generation Hope NZ
Over 100 people joined us at the Symposium, and it was clear that the highlight of the day was the mokopuna-led workshops. The kōrero from mokopuna was extremely powerful, and they shared their experiences about different priority areas and called on the government to address these specific areas of concern. You can catch a glimpse of the workshops in the videos below:
- Workshop One - Mokopuna Māori and Non-discrimination presented by Te Whānau Mānihera.
- Workshop Two - Mokopuna living away from their whānau, including a care-experienced led panel presented by VOYCE Whakarongo Mai.
- Workshop Three - Issues for disabled children, including impact of child poverty presented by I.Lead - YES Disability.
- Workshop Four - Climate action and participation presented by UNICEF Youth Ambassadors & Generation Hope.
To find more information about each of the workshops, you can also download the slide sets from each of the workshops below.
Our day together ended with a Panel Discussion and we heard from key people working in the Children’s Rights space including Saunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo (Human Rights Commission), Dr Kate Prickett (Victoria University of Wellington), Te Maungarongo Maarie Mareikura-Ellery (Ara Taiohi & Evolve Wellington) and Aaron Hendry (Founder of Kickback). This great kōrero was facilitated by panel interviewer Vira Paky (Save the Children).
For more videos from the day you can check out our Vimeo page or watch the video our friends at Save the Children shared on YouTube.
Te Mahi TIKA mō a Tātou Mokopuna | Doing what's RIGHT for mokopuna is a free digital booklet available for download in English and te reo Māori. This child-friendly resource was launched at the Children's Rights Symposium, hosted by the Children's Convention Monitoring Group on August 1, 2024.
"To us the Children's Rights Convention purpose is to protect tamariki and ensure that all tamariki have a healthy, safe, loving and warm growing environment - to ensure the best future possible for the child. And to emphasise the responsibility of their government to make the CRC a top priority. For the care of the children is their most sacred duty."
- Te Whānau Manihera.