Council asked to back lower age

‘‘If we could get it through local government level as a test, it’s a good place to start.’’ Porirua mayor Anita Baker

A Porirua City councillor is hoping his motion for the council to back the Make It 16 campaign and lower the voting age could encourage other local bodies to follow suit.

The Supreme Court recently ruled the current voting age is unjustified discrimination, on the basis of age, under the Bill of Rights Act, with the Government later proposing to lower the voting age.

Pāuatahanui General Ward councillor Josh Trlin, who will put the motion at tomorrow’s Te Puna Kōrero meeting, hoped it would be the first of many from councils across the country.

If passed, Porirua City Council would endorse Make It 16 and lobby the Government to lower the voting age in time for local elections in 2025.

‘‘It would be really meaningful to see councils around the country put their hand up and say we want 16 and 17-year-olds to be able to vote, we value their voice, and we want to give them a say in their own community,’’ he said. ‘‘Voting is a fundamental democratic right. It’s really key to us existing in a free and democratic society. If you’re going to prevent someone from exercising that right, it has to meet a very high threshold.’’

Trlin already has the backing from the city’s mayor, Anita Baker, and his Onepoto General Ward colleague Geoff Hayward.

‘‘Let the 16-year-olds loose on local government,’’ Baker said. ‘‘If we could get it through local government level as a test, it’s a good place to start. We want them to start voting.’’

‘‘We’re sending a message to Parliament on behalf of those who are aged between 16 and 18, that their voice matters,’’ said Hayward, who intended to second the motion.

Make It 16 co-director Caeden Tipler said it was exciting to see support from local government and hoped similar motions would be passed in other regions.

‘‘So many decisions that local government makes impact 16 and 17-year-olds if not more than any other age group,’’ they said. ‘‘They’re using parks and public transport and they’re going to be impacted by the decisions local councils are making on like climate change or Covid-19 recovery.’’

Wellington City Council committed in August last year to advocate lowering the voting age to 16 in its Strategy for Children and Young People.

The council’s Social, Cultural and Economic Committee chairperson Teri O’Neill, one of the co-founding members of Make It 16 in 2019, said the movement demonstrated a ‘‘really high interest’’ from young people in local government.

Pukehı¯nau/Lambton Ward councillor Tamatha Paul said councils needed to take a stand together to get the voting age lowered.

Upper Hutt City Council has not discussed if it should back changing the voting age, but councillor Dylan Bentley believed it shouldn’t be the council’s role to support Make It 16.

There are no endorsements to drop the voting age yet from the Lower Hutt City Council, but mayor Campbell Barry personally backs the change and he would raise the issue with his councillors.

Kāpiti Coast District councillor Sophie Handford hoped she could get a notice of motion to back the movement at the next meeting, and said there was a ‘‘broad consensus building’’ judging from conversations with her colleagues and with the community.