The Minister receives support from the Ministry of Youth Development, who work closely with other agencies within the parliamentary complex including The Office of the Speaker, Parliamentary Services and the Office of the Clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives.
[2] The event was shorter than it is now, with young people coming to Parliament for an educational day.
[13] The website of the Ministry of Youth Development says that Youth Parliament "is an opportunity for young New Zealanders to influence government decision-making as active citizens and have their views heard by key decision-makers and the public.
"[2] Throughout the event Youth MPs take part in a variety of parliamentary activities.
[12] Youth MPs work on various select committees and consider submissions, ask questions of Cabinet Ministers, participate in debates, come together in caucus sessions and experience various other aspects of parliament.
The New Zealand Business and Parliament Trust runs a competition open to all Youth MPs and Youth Press Gallery members, which asks entrants to discuss the experience and what they have learned and taken back to their community.
[2] These are: Young people, aged 16 to 18 years, from around New Zealand are chosen by their local (electorate or list) Member of Parliament (MP) to be a Youth Member of Parliament (Youth MP).
[16] The organisation of Youth Parliament is overseen by the Multi-Party Parliamentary Steering Committee.
Most notably, a successful motion to declare a climate emergency was moved by Chlöe Swarbrick's Youth MP, Luke Wijohn.
Swarbrick herself had unsuccessfully attempted to move the same motion in Parliament weeks earlier.
The event also made headlines after it was revealed that Deputy Speaker Anne Tolley had reduced Youth MP Lily Dorrance to tears after shutting down her speech on youth suicide as Dorrance was reading from her notes, which Tolley believed was against standing orders.
[24] Later in 2019 but still during the tenureship of the Youth MP programme, three Youth MPs, Wijohn, Arie Faber and Lily Chen, representing Swarbrick, Jan Logie and Golriz Ghahraman respectively, were ejected from Parliament's public gallery and issued with a twelve-month ban from Parliament grounds after interrupting the proceedings of the house by loudly verbally protesting the government's position on the occupation at Ihumātao.
Swarbrick, Logie and Ghahraman later stated they disapproved of their Youth MPs actions.
This was an extended period of days compared to previous years, as a trial to fit in more events and discussion.