Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono Advocates for Lowering Voting Age to 16 Ahead of General Election

AUCKLAND — Green Party candidate Teanau Tuiono has renewed calls to lower the national voting age to 16, emphasizing the importance of rangatahi participation in the democratic process. As Aotearoa New Zealand prepares for the general election on November 7, Mr Tuiono has voiced strong support for the policy, stating that young people should have a say in the decisions that will shape their future. The push to expand the franchise follows a significant 2022 Supreme Court ruling which found that preventing 16 and 17-year-olds from voting was inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act and constituted age discrimination. According to reports from Waatea News on Wednesday, October 14, while the judiciary has highlighted the legal discrepancies, the final decision to change the voting age remains within the jurisdiction of Parliament. The Green Party maintains that the current time is right for rangatahi to be granted voting rights. The party argues that empowering younger citizens ensures they have an active stake in legislative outcomes and long-term planning for the country. Mr Tuiono noted that because current decisions directly impact the lived reality of the next generation, they must have a formal mechanism to influence those outcomes. The call for inclusion comes amid a broader surge in electoral engagement reported by Waatea News, which noted that overseas voter enrolments have increased by 60 percent. As the election approaches, the focus on who is eligible to cast a ballot remains a central point of discussion for candidates seeking to represent Māori and the wider community.