Ban on prisoners voting at odds with Bill of Rights Mastermind returning to NZ screens

A BAN on prisoners voting has been ruled inconsistent with the Bill of Rights, in a declaration from the courts that is the first of its kind.

Prisoner Arthur Taylor is one of a group of five serving prisoners who argued that the Electoral (Disqualification of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Act 2010 was inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.

Under the amended act, all people in prison on election day are unable to vote.

Taylor lost a High Court bid in September last year which would have allowed him to vote in the general election.

Justice Paul Heath yesterday formally declared the ban to be inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, which all laws should be in line with.

The declaration from the High Court was the first of its kind. It sends a formal message to Parliament that the law it passed was indefensible as it limited individual rights without reasonable justification.

However, Heath’s ruling does not necessarily mean the Government will change the law. It said it would consider the judgment.

Heath said the inconsistency arose in the ‘‘most fundamental aspect of a democracy . . . the right of all citizens to elect those who will govern on their behalf’’. The courts still have to apply the law under the Bill of Rights Act, but the formal declaration from the High Court indicates it should not be in place.

Labour’s justice spokeswoman, Jacinda Ardern, said the ruling showed the law should never have been passed. Parliament had a responsibility to respect fundamental rights for all, and the Government needed to see the unprecedented ruling as a ‘‘wake-up call’’, she said.

University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis said it was the first time the High Court had issued a formal declaration of inconsistency with the Bill of Rights Act, which was an ‘‘official notice’’ to Parliament that the law it had passed was ‘‘bad law’’.

A spokesman for Justice Minister Amy Adams said: ‘‘At this stage we’re still considering the judgment but it’s worth noting that, as the judge has stated, the finding that a piece of legislation breached the Bill of Rights Act does not invalidate the legislation.’’ QUIZ show Mastermind is on its way back to Kiwi TVs, along with a new history show and a documentary on New Zealand country music.

NZ On Air’s latest batch of local arts and culture programmes has just been announced.

A revival of quiz show Mastermind is in the works for primetime on TV One.

Mastermind originated as a British show, but a Kiwi version was produced in the 1980s. Thirteen episodes will be produced by Warner Bros, with NZ on Air covering $685,360 of costs.

Alongside Mastermind comes Heritage Rescue, which will screen on the Choice free-to-air channel. The eightepisode show will see a team of experts explore and explain New Zealand museums and heritage sites. NZ On Air contributed $484,039 for the show.

Kiwi country music is also getting a turn in the spotlight, with one-hour doco The New Sound Of Country focusing on Kiwi artists at the forefront of the genre. Tami Neilson, Marlon Williams, Delaney Davidson and Barry Saunders will feature.