Description:

Young people are 17% of the population and 100% of the future.

Their views are critical in political decision-making. But too often, for policy-makers, voices of taiohi are excluded. And for young people, political processes appear too complex and inaccessible.

In response, we have worked with the Ministry of Youth Development to find a way to help policy-makers and young people speak each other’s language. This resulted in The Hive.

Critical to its success, The Hive truly positions power with our young people. Our core group of young ‘Hivers’ are supported to unlock the potential within their own networks, awaken their creativity, and be supported to gain skills along the way.

Over the last 12 months, we’ve taken The Hive from proof-of-concept to an embedded part of the Ministry of Youth Development’s Youth Plan. It’s an active, alive group of young co-designers who are constantly innovating, evolving and creating tangible and meaningful ways to keep young people engaged, and to help our decision-makers connect with and understand the world of our taiohi.

This growing rōpū of ‘Hivers’ isn’t a youth advisory group. The Hive is a dynamic two-way bridge between taiohi and government; a nationwide amplifier of youth voice.

Through The Hive, we’ve found clever ways to cut through the wallpaper and get people to pay attention: creating zines, standing up a ‘Hive House’ at Festival for the Future, where you could leave a message for the Prime Minister, launching a Beehive 'takeover', and creating the ‘HiVis’ series during the 2023 election period to shine a light on all the inner workings of elections and how government works.

The brand’s design and tone of voice has been refreshed for greater impact, the ways we report to policy-makers have been sharpened, and we’ve refined the working framework of the rōpū into a tuakana-teina model, ensuring that knowledge is carried and held through each season of The Hive. It's exciting, it's energetic, it's always on, and it's motivating a change in attitudes and thinking in our decision makers, and our young people alike.

In 2023, we engaged more than 100 decision-makers, from 30+ government agencies to understand what they need from young people. We've heard from thousands of young people in our engagements that have spanned emissions reduction planning to online content regulation. And we’re proud that on average 80% of young people who have participated in our engagements had never engaged with politics before.

Finally, The Hive’s new visual aesthetic can't be ignored. Poppy colours and bold text encapsulate The Hive’s fearlessness when it comes to authentic conversations. It’s design that makes you want to pay attention and actually read the insights when they land in your inbox, with youthful language that doesn't make you cringe (unless we want you to). It’s design that makes the voices of taiohi feel as valuable as they actually are. It's fun and friendly, but also pointed and direct.

The Hive is committed to a sustainable future where rangatahi in Aotearoa feel empowered to have their say, and will be heard. And The Hive brand is as confident, colourful and dynamic as the young people who are driving it.