In 2003 we provided funding to Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa (ACYA) to produce a video that encapsulated the views of children and young people in New Zealand. The video formed part of a report from Non Government Organisations to the Committee for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, outlining how well the New Zealand Government was complying to the Convention, which the Government adopted in 1993.

The content and structure of the video was developed by a group of young people aged 7 to 18 from a mix of ethnicities including Maori, Pacific, Russian and Asian. They addressed issues for children and young people living in Aotearoa, like education, social issues at school, hitting children, drugs, alcohol and health, discrimination and war.

The video was presented to the UN Committee in Geneva on 12 June 2003 by one of the young people involved. The Committee commented that they were pleased to be able to hear the views of children and young people in New Zealand as part of the NGO report.

For more information about the video contact info@savethechildren.org.nz