On 8 October, the Central Otago Youth Council hosted the Pizza and Politics forum for the local mayoral and councillor elections.

There was a great turnout, with three mayoral and seven councillor candidates attending to be grilled by young people’s questions. Topics ranged from the environment and youth engagement in politics to the region’s ageing population and the ongoing exodus of young people and families.

It was awesome to see some Dunstan students in the crowd, even on a busy Wednesday night. The Youth Council would like to thank Tash Kane and Deb Beange for their help behind the scenes, as well as everyone who made the night possible, including the candidates and audience for coming along and getting involved.