Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, left, with Times’ Junior Journalist Jianna Kapoor at his Botany electorate office.

By Times’ Junior Journalist Jianna Kapoor

When I walked into Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s office for the first time, my stomach was flipping around in my body, trying to escape along with all of my nervousness.

I had spent weeks preparing questions and calming my nerves. This was the day I was waiting for. “You better not mess up,” I told myself!

These are some of the questions I asked Mr Luxon about the Government and policies in New Zealand.

My first question relating to the Government and policies was about our education system, since it has just changed across the country.

He said he expects that every student should be attending school regularly so they can be taught the right things.

In our education curriculum, we spend one hour on maths, reading, and writing each day for primary and intermediate schools.

All these changes in the education system are so we can get better and higher-paying jobs in the future.

They’ve also focused on the NCEA replacements at high school. He wants us to be as well educated, if not better educated, than everyone else in the world.

The other thing many kids my age and even adults worry about is when friends or relatives move to different countries.

I asked him what he was doing to stop this problem and make our community stronger.

Mr Luxon said he wants that when people work hard, they get paid enough money and then they can get access to good education and reliable healthcare, so everyone feels safe.

He explained that if crime goes down, people will feel safer. This will help make New Zealand a great place to build a future.

A lot of people I know, including myself, worry about future colleges, universities, and even jobs.

I asked Mr Luxon what he was doing to solve this issue for kids like me. He explained there will be heaps of jobs coming up related to technology.

I was surprised when he mentioned that in the next four years there will be nearly 240,000 new jobs in New Zealand.

That’s why they have been working so hard on the education side of things, so kids can develop new skills that might be necessary for them in the future when AI is everywhere.

Additionally, all of those skills will help them get higher paying jobs in the future.

By the end of this interview, I learnt a lot about New Zealand’s future and its policies.

I have noticed it’s not just the adults’ responsibility to help and work in the community, it’s the kids’ too.

I have learnt so many new things about New Zealand and about the Government’s goals for the future of New Zealand.

It has made me realise if I work hard in school and try out as many opportunities as I get, it will make me a more prepared person for my future and what lies ahead.

Now I understand that opportunities we take help shape the future we form.

Look out for my next article on the questions I asked Mr Luxon, which were related to how he manages his work as Prime Minister.

Jianna Kapoor is in year 7 at Somerville Intermediate School