Save the Children is supporting the ‘Make it 16’ group’s call to lower New Zealand’s voting age to 16, saying rangatahi have a right to have their voices heard and a right to non-discrimination.

The child rights organisation, who will today present to the Justice Select Committee on the Declaration of Inconsistency: Voting age in the Electoral Act 1993 and the Local Electoral Act 2001, is calling on the Government to re-prioritise action on introducing a new Bill to lower the age.

This follows the Supreme Court’s ruling in favour of the Make it 16 group in November that the provisions of the Electoral Act 1993 and the Local Electoral Act 2001 were inconsistent with the rights declared in the New Zealand Bill of Rights, which states the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of age.

Save the Children New Zealand’s Advocacy Director Jacqui Southey says it is "disappointing" that despite the Prime Minister’s assurance at the time that a Bill on lowering the voting age would be drafted, this has not yet been introduced and the Justice Select Committee is considering the declaration of inconsistency alone.

"This is a policy worth pursuing, particularly as we head into a general election where voting is top of mind for New Zealanders. Lowering the voting age would see the valuable voices of 16-and 17-year-olds included in election-based decision making."

Ms Southey says not only does the Bill of Rights support the lowering of the voting age based on non-discrimination due to age, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child also specifies that children should have their voices heard on issues important to them and should not be discriminated against.

"In its recent concluding comments on New Zealand’s progress on implementing the Convention, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child also supported the process of younger people taking up their right to vote," Ms Southey says.

"Sixteen and 17-year-olds should be respected as competent participants in society. These young people are considered mature enough to hold adult responsibilities such as driving a motor vehicle on public roads, working in paid employment and paying tax, and some young people of this age group are parents. It is inconsistent they are not trusted with the capacity to vote, despite these adult responsibilities that they are considered mature enough to carry."

Save the Children is making four key recommendations:

• Introduce a bill immediately to lower the voting age to 16.
• Conduct separate votes to lower the age for local and general elections.
• A Referendum should not be used to decide this issue.
• Upon introduction of the Bill, strengthen support for teachers, communities and whānau to support young people to cast informed votes.

Save the Children Youth Engagement Coordinator Teana Macdonald says adults are not subjected to an assessment on their capacity to vote based on their intelligence, maturity, or ability to think critically, yet this has been the main argument for restricting 16- and 17-year-olds from being allowed to vote.

"In my work with young people, I get the privilege of seeing their capability and creativity every day.

"When one rangatahi saw the issue of exclusion in her local community she co-founded her own charity celebrating culture and diversity by putting on a Youth Show every year. Another young person saw the under representation of youth in the media, so she started her own media outlet, amplifying the voice of youth here in Aotearoa. Or another young person who wrote her school's first diversity and inclusion strategy to ensure all students in her school could thrive and feel like valued members.

"These are just a few examples highlighting the capabilities of our young people here in Aotearoa. The country would benefit from young people being given the opportunity to start voting at 16 years old."

Save the Children’s Advocacy and Research Director Jacqui Southey and Youth Engagement Coordinator Teana Macdonald will present their oral submission at 11.40am today and be broadcast live on the Justice Committee's Facebook page.

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