Rates Increase Likely as Addition of Large Group of Non-Rate Payers to Local Voter Roles Appears Likely to Pass

November 22, 2022

The voting age for local government elections looks likely to be lowered to 16, with 50 MPs in Parliament expressing support for change and 45 opposed.

Thirty-eight Labour MPs and all 10 Green MPs support a lower age. Both Te Pāti Māori’s MPs are likely to vote for a lower age.

Sixty-one votes will be needed to change the voting age for local elections - Parliament will have 120 MPs once the Hamilton West by-election wraps up next month. That means just 11 more “yes” votes are needed to lower the age.

If the 22 Labour MPs yet to declare a voting intention were to split along the lines of their colleagues who have declared, the bill would pass.

In the “noes” column are National’s caucus of 33 MPs, who today decided to take a party position and vote as a bloc, and Act’s 10 MPs. Act leader David Seymour says his 10 MPs are likely to vote against the bill, but he personally could live with a lower age of 16 at local government level. Labour MPs David Parker and Willie Jackson have said they do not support a lower voting age. Two other Labour MPs are on the fence.