Sixteen-year-old Aquinas College student Tanvi Upreti stepped into Parliament’s debating chamber this week to represent Bay of Plenty at Youth Parliament 2025 — a two-day event giving 143 young New Zealanders a first-hand look at the political process.
Tanvi, a Year 12 student and the youngest Youth MP in this year’s cohort, was one of just 80 selected to deliver a General Debate speech. Her three-minute address, inspired by conversations with local student leaders, focuses on freedom of speech, women in politics, and civic education.
“Young people like me need to understand that politics isn’t just something happening in the background; it’s the very thing shaping our lives and futures,” says Tanvi, noting that many of the local students she canvassed didn’t know or care about NZ politics.
Tanvi was selected as Bay of Plenty’s Youth MP after impressing Tauranga MP Tom Rutherford with her debating, writing, and interview skills — beating out over 100 older applicants. She was just 15 at the time, narrowly below the 16–18 age requirement.
Despite that, she’s eager to use her Youth Parliament platform to speak up and represent. On Tuesday (July 1), she and Rutherford tabled a petition in support of home-schooled athletes, sparked by the case of Maungatapu’s Amelia Twiss, who was denied a medal at a school mountain biking event. Amelia cycled 800km to deliver the petition to Parliament, where Tanvi joined her after gathering local support across the Bay.
During the two-day event, Tanvi contributed to a Parliamentary Working Group focused on retirement income — an issue she has been researching by visiting local rest homes to speak with residents and staff. The group met with retirement income experts before presenting their views to decision-makers and fielding questions.
Outside the debating chamber, Tanvi has recently connected with MPs, including Minister of Health Simeon Brown, Minister for Transport Chris Bishop, and Minister of Finance Nicola Willis. She was also selected to deliver the opening prayer at the pōhiri welcoming Youth MPs to Parliament. On Tuesday, she and fellow Youth MPs attended a gala dinner with MPs and Ministers, and met with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro.
Passionate about politics, Tanvi sees Youth Parliament as a launchpad for a career in public service. She plans to study law, political science, and international relations in Wellington — with hopes of becoming a diplomat, and eventually, an MP.
This week’s Youth Parliament concludes four months of training, preparing Tanvi and her cohort to engage confidently with New Zealand’s political system.
The last Aquinas Youth MP was Ben Sokimi in 2019.