New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced his government will not introduce legislation to lower the voting age for general elections to 16 following a Supreme Court decision in November that declared the current voting age “discriminatory.”
As part of his announcement for wide-ranging policy changes, Hipkins said that rather than pursuing legislation to lower the voting age in general elections, the government will focus on legislation to lower the voting age in local elections.
“Lowering the age to 16 for general elections requires the support of at least 75 percent in the House of Representatives or a successful binding referendum. It is clear that we do not have a 75 percent majority in the current Parliament to make that change,” he said….