In my te reo class today, we talked about children being our future, the ones who take forward the things that are precious to us, our customs, our histories, our language, our ways of being. I feel humbled that my three boys are so welcomed and understood on marae, including their sometimes questionable behaviour!

I also believe we all need to take responsibility to be leaders of our collective futures. To engage and connect with our communities, to learn and be open to the possibility for change, to know who we are and where we come from, our family history and how it relates to our wider society.

I want to take responsibility for my children's future until they can step into my shoes. That's why I volunteer so many hours for The Opportunities Party, TOP. I was freaking out about the future for my children and their peers until I found TOP. With their proven, rather than popular or ideological, policies, I believe we can move Aotearoa New Zealand forwards. So I choose to support the party I want to see in parliament, not the party I think is going to win. It's not a horse race, after all. It's for our collective future.

Let's all be the leaders of tomorrow.