NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Justice Minister Andrew Little flags three referenda could be in the mix at next election

NZ Herald
25 Nov, 2018 07:39 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Justice Minister Andrew Little has flagged that three referenda could be on the cards at the next election. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Justice Minister Andrew Little has flagged that three referenda could be on the cards at the next election. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Justice Minister Andrew Little has flagged that three referenda could be on the cards at the next election. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Justice Minister Andrew Little has flagged that referenda on cannabis law reform, euthanasia and MMP reform could take place at the same time.

Speaking to TVNZ's Q&A programme last night, Little said a Cabinet paper on the cannabis referendum was with colleagues at the moment but the detail of the referendum's form, whether it's binding or not, had yet to be decided.

The Government is planning a referendum on cannabis for personal use before or at the 2020 election as part of its confidence and supply agreement with the Green Party.

"There's a Cabinet paper that's being reviewed by various Cabinet ministers at the moment and I would hope that we'll make decisions before the end of the year," Little told TVNZ.

"One of the issues is, is it binding, is it not binding. There's still the question about the timing of it and various other questions as well. But it's certainly my strong preference ... that by the end of this year we'll have those principal decisions determined so we all know."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Little said a referendum on the question of euthanasia could also be held at the same time, following discussions with ACT leader David Seymour, who has been driving the issue, and a willingness by New Zealand First to support Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill if it went to a referendum.

"It is possible that there would be a referendum on euthanasia as well," Little said.

He also flagged a possible referendum on changes to the MMP system of representation.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It has been floating around that if we're going to do a bunch of referenda, why wouldn't we put this question about whether we want to make those final tweaks to MMP, reduce that 5 per cent threshold to 4 per cent, get rid of the one-seat coat-tailing provision."

But he said no decisions had been made on that yet.

In 2012 the Electoral Commission recommended reducing the party vote threshold for entry to Parliament from 5 per cent of the vote to 4, and also abolishing the coat-tailing provision which means parties who win an electorate seat can bring in other MPs, regardless of whether they meet the threshold.

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

Follow the leader: What the flag debate revealed about our personal politics

17 Nov 10:45 PM
Opinion

Soper: Sorry minister, killer drivers should be in prison

21 Nov 04:00 PM
Opinion

John Roughan: Pike River re-entry now ridiculously expensive

23 Nov 04:00 PM
Business

US asks allies to drop Huawei

23 Nov 08:38 PM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Positive vibes only': Kids' football festival set to paint Park Island pink

29 May 06:00 PM
Premium
New Zealand

'Persistent meh': Why a couple in their 30s, including a senior doctor, are leaving NZ

29 May 06:00 PM
New Zealand

Kiwi top cop's new Australian police chief job at risk after citizenship questions

29 May 05:56 PM

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Ex-Royal Marine charged after Liverpool parade car carnage
World

Ex-Royal Marine charged after Liverpool parade car carnage

29 May 06:04 PM
'Positive vibes only': Kids' football festival set to paint Park Island pink
Hawkes Bay Today

'Positive vibes only': Kids' football festival set to paint Park Island pink

29 May 06:00 PM
Kiwi top cop's new Australian police chief job at risk after citizenship questions
New Zealand

Kiwi top cop's new Australian police chief job at risk after citizenship questions

29 May 05:56 PM
Herald Hat-trick sports quiz: May 30 (Underdogs theme)
Sport

Herald Hat-trick sports quiz: May 30 (Underdogs theme)

29 May 05:55 PM
Super Rugby Pacific finals permutations
Super Rugby

Super Rugby Pacific finals permutations

29 May 05:53 PM

Latest from New Zealand

'Positive vibes only': Kids' football festival set to paint Park Island pink

'Positive vibes only': Kids' football festival set to paint Park Island pink

29 May 06:00 PM

More than 1000 kids and parents will dress in pink to promote positive sport behaviour.

Premium
'Persistent meh': Why a couple in their 30s, including a senior doctor, are leaving NZ

'Persistent meh': Why a couple in their 30s, including a senior doctor, are leaving NZ

29 May 06:00 PM
Kiwi top cop's new Australian police chief job at risk after citizenship questions

Kiwi top cop's new Australian police chief job at risk after citizenship questions

29 May 05:56 PM
Taupō's 'accidental art hero' on adventures around town - and further afield

Taupō's 'accidental art hero' on adventures around town - and further afield

29 May 05:00 PM
Explore the hidden gems of NSW
sponsored

Explore the hidden gems of NSW

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search