While most 18-year-olds are leaving home, heading to university and experimenting with life, Luke Wijohn and William Wood are campaigning on the issues important to their communities by standing for Parliament.
Wijohn is the Green Party's candidate in the electorate of Mt Albert - currently held by Labour leader Jacinda Ardern - and Wood is competing in Palmerston North, also a Labour seat.
With just over a week until the October 17 general election, the young pair joined The AM Show to explain why they think they deserve Kiwis' votes.
For Wijohn, he's standing to grow "the movement of the Green Party".
"I think that poverty, climate change and racism are three of the biggest issues that New Zealand is facing and the Green Party is the only one with a long-term plan to do it," he told host Duncan Garner.
"I led the school strikes here in Auckland and there I saw that we could get 180,000 people out on the streets, we could show that just about everybody in this country wants to see strong action on climate change, but still, still in Parliament, we have people that are delaying, we have people that are denying in some cases the need for it."
Since the last election in 2017, the Green Party has had a confidence and supply agreement with Labour, which itself is in coalition with New Zealand First. Garner pushed Wijohn on why his party hadn't achieved more in Parliament over the three years.
"I think with eight MPs we have done a tremendous effort. But actually, we have been held back not just by New Zealand First, but Labour," he replied.
"I think if people want to see more action on climate change, people want to see tree protection, people want to see all these things the Green Party have been fighting for, then what we need is more party votes and more MPs in Parliament.
"When we hold the power, when Labour has to come to us to become Government, when Jacinda has to come to us to become Prime Minister, that's when we can put down some strong bottom lines."
National's Wood says he doesn't want to be someone who just complains about his community's problems.
"I look at it pretty simply. I don't want to complain about something if I am not prepared to put my hand up and do something about it. I think there are all too many people across a lot of age groups who do that," he told The AM Show.
"If I want to look back on my city in 20 years time, who am I not to put my hand up and actually try and do something about it. We have got issues around housing, around job opportunities, around education. I want to see something done about it which is why I put myself forward for a democratic process."
Garner asked Wood what he, as an 18-year-old, could offer experienced, older businesspeople in Palmerston North.
"A strong voice in Parliament. I was selected by business people in my community. I was selected by city councillors and community leaders over some really great people.
"I talk to these people and they are excited to see someone young and passionate but equally capable and competent."
One thing the pair agreed on is that there are barriers for younger people wanting to stand for Parliament. Both spoke about relying on their families for support as the intensive campaign takes time away from being able to work.
"You have to be privileged to be able to engage in this civic duty which is not the way we should be doing it," Wijohn said.
But they don't see eye-to-eye on the upcoming cannabis legalisation and control referendum. Wijohn believes it will help address harm, but Wood - who acknowledges our current system doesn't work - doesn't think legalisation is the way to go.
Wijohn hasn't made up his mind on the euthanasia referendum, while Wood is voting no.
Campaigners wanting to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 this year took the issue to High Court. However, on Wednesday, the court said the current law was justified.
Wood and Wijohn both said better civics education was necessary for youngsters.
"I think we have a massive issue around engaging young people in politics at the moment," the National Party candidate said.
"They don't understand how the legislative process works. I had not one, not two, but three guys say, when I got selected, 'congrats William, you have done something cool. Do you get to be the Mayor if you win?'.
"That is the lack of understanding I am talking about in our system. I don't support lowering to 16 at the moment because we do not have the civic education or understanding of our system there."
Wijohn said civics and lowering the voting age go hand-in-hand.
"What we need to be doing is providing that civics education but also lowering the voting age," he said.
"At the moment, 18 is a rubbish time to be having it. You have people, with the three-year terms, 18, 19, 20. That is when you are leaving home, that is when you are going to a new city, you are staying at university. There is a lot on your plate.
"I think every single kid in New Zealand should be casting their first vote at a school where they have been taught civics education."
He said having people vote early puts them on a pathway to continue voting later in their lives.
