Student Political Action in New Zealand

It was not long ago that students were dismissed as apathetic. Yet, today, a new generation of young political actors is making waves in New Zealand and around the world. What explains this apparent shift and what is driving these new forms of youth­ful political engagement and expression? Exploring the terrain between activism and apathy, Sylvia Nissen considers what it means to be a political actor from the perspective of students today. Drawing on in­-depth interviews with New Zealand tertiary students, she traces their ‘desires’ for different types of politics, the ‘demands’ they experience at university, and the ‘doubts’ that underscore their political engagement.