Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP

Trump and Clinton 2016, has shown US voters feeling so disillusioned with their democratic process that many are planning on not voting at all.

Back in New Zealand we found out last week that in a number of local council elections there weren't enough nominations to form a full council while in others some would be running unopposed with zero votes needed for election.

We know that people feel passionately about the state of our society but we also know that many feel like the game is rigged and the cards are stacked against anyone who wants to make a positive difference.

We used to be a nation of democratic participation, but a lot of people – especially younger people – have so little interest in political involvement these days that we need to start asking some tough questions about how democracy is being modelled to them.

Others simply don't understand that they too can actually serve on local councils and in local political party organisation. It's for all of us.

It can seem a little complicated and overwhelming, but it is so vital to our kiwi way of life that I've started to think ‘Civics' – the understanding of how our democracy does, or could, or should function – needs to become a part of our education system.

I recently approached one of our tertiary institutions about helping them set up a political club to encourage engagement and debate, but was told emphatically, 'we are apolitical.”

But isn't this an extreme application of ‘apolitical' over ‘non-partisan'?

We need conversation with all political voices – even the ones that disagree with me – so I will keep trying.

Politics affects all of us whether we are active or passive. Our civic future depends on all of us. Let's make our voices heard. Let's at least make sure the ‘a' in ‘apolitical' doesn't stand for ‘apathy.'