Voting age of 18 is discriminatory, rules New Zealand court

The Supreme Court of New Zealand ruled on Monday that the minimum voting age limit of 18 years was discriminatory. According to a Reuters report, the ruling has forced the New Zealand parliament to consider whether the minimum age limit must be lowered.

The ruling came in a case filed in 2020, in which an advocacy group demanded that the minimum voting age limit be lowered to 16 years. Per media reports, the country’s apex court found the current minimum age limit of 18 to be inconsistent with the Bill of Rights.

The court noted the Bill of Rights allows individuals to be free from the age of 16, which is why the current voting age limit of 18 was discriminatory. The matter will now be tabled in the parliament for discussion, though it wouldn’t be binding on the parliament to change the current age limit. A parliamentary select committee will subsequently review the discussion.


Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern welcomed the ruling and said that she supported a decrease in the voting age. However, she added that the government would draft a legislature and place it before the parliament, as changes in the electoral law required 75% support in the house.

Caeden Tipler, co-director of the advocacy group Make It 16, said that the apex court’s ruling was historical and added that the parliament must vote to decrease the age limit to 16. However, the largest opposition, the National Party, has opposed the ruling. Party leader Christopher Luxon said that a line needed to be drawn somewhere and that the current age limit of 18 was just fine.

FAQs:

1. How many votes are needed for the change in electoral law in New Zealand?
   75% votes in the parliament.
2. Which party is the largest opposition?
   The National Party is the largest opposition party in New Zealand.