Katikati College Student Heads to Youth Parliament as Press Gallery Member

Katikati College Year 12 student Kyla Allen-Boyd swapped the classroom for Parliament last week after being selected as a Youth Press Gallery member for 2025. The 16-year-old was one of 143 young people from across Aotearoa who took part in Youth Parliament 2025, gaining first-hand experience of how government works while representing their communities as Youth MPs or Youth Press Gallery members.

Allen-Boyd said she applied because she cares about staying informed and sharing news relevant to people her age, particularly given how much misinformation circulates on social media. She noted that many of her peers tend to accept what they see online without questioning it — a concern that motivated her to get involved in journalism. Arriving in Wellington on 30 June for orientation, she then spent two days reporting on proceedings and learning about Parliament from the perspective of the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

Youth Press Gallery members were divided into working groups and assigned topics to write about; Allen-Boyd's was sport and recreation, with her tasked with profiling five Youth MPs. She came away with two completed articles and a growing interest in pursuing journalism alongside a law major at university. For now she balances school, two jobs and playing football.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).