Majority Of Youth MPs Back Call To Lower The Voting Age
A cross-party group of Youth MPs endorsed the letter that calls on Parliament to listen to youth voices and take action on an issue that has seen growing momentum both legally, politically and internationally, with the UK parliament poised to introduce legislation later this year.
'Youth Parliament is supposed to be a celebration of youth voice and civic engagement. It is a recognition from Parliament that we are capable of debating complex issues,' says Thomas Brocherie, 17, a Make It 16 Co-Director and 2025 Youth MP for Lan Pham. 'But it's deeply ironic that many of us will not have the right to vote in this year's local election, or even next year's general election, despite being invited to stand up for our communities on a national stage.'
Sam Allan, Make It 16 spokesperson and 2025 Youth MP for Hamish Campbell, adds: ' We have been invited to share powerful lived experiences about what it means to be a young New Zealander. We have been loud and clear on climate change, youth homelessness, mental health and our education system. Unfortunately, politicians have still not caught up.'
Youth Parliament was originally established in 1994 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of lowering the voting age to 18. In the spirit of that kaupapa, the Make It 16 campaign was founded during Youth Parliament in 2019 and has consistently advocated for voting rights to be extended to 16- and 17-year-olds. This is now the third consecutive Youth Parliament where young people have challenged the government of the day to listen and act on the aspirations of rangatahi.
Since then, Make It 16 has won a Supreme Court case declaring the current voting age of 18 as unjustified age discrimination and has gathered widespread public, legal, and political support. But despite a Bill being introduced in Parliament in 2022, it was later axed by the National-ACT-NZ First government in early 2024 before any of the submissions made on the Bill could even be read.
'We have been invited to take part in Youth Parliament, to share our bold vision for tackling Aotearoa's biggest challenges, but at the end of the day, our voices are still being sidelined when it comes to the decisions that will disproportionately affect us in the future. It's time we were a real part of the decision-making table', says Lincoln Jones, Make It 16 Spokesperson and 2025 Youth MP for Willie Jackson.
Currently 63 (and counting) Youth MPs have signed the 2025 open letter, joining the legacy of their predecessors from 2022 and 2019.
Notes
Open Letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wGa2PWgLU77vTR8dvGMY3dkJSGheU8Kq9yTSF0fygJk/edit?usp=sharing
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