Green Party calls for 16-year-olds to get the vote

Green MP Golriz Ghahraman asks a parliamentary committee to go further with electoral law changes. Photo / Boris Jancic

The Green Party says it wants 16-year-olds to have the right to vote as it pushes for the Government to go further with electoral law changes.

Coinciding with climate strikes expected across the country today,the party has announced it's adding a younger voting age to its list of policies.

"They're allowed to leave home, learn to drive, work and pay taxes, they should be allowed to elect politicians making decisions about their future," Green co-leader James Shaw said.

But he insists it's not because his party may stand to gain from a younger voting base, but rather because there needed to be a shift towards policies representing youths – particularly in the domain of climate change.

"The reason I'm really committed to this is because I want the other political parties to compete for the youth vote. Because that's where you get the shifts in policy – not from a small party like the Greens," Shaw said.

"It's that sense of intergenerational justice, if you like."

The decision follows a local campaign by youths to change the age - named Make it 16 - which has also won the backing of Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft, and a rising global trend in youth activism on climate change, led by figures such as Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

The Greens will add the proposed change to a member's bill being put forward by MP Golriz Ghahraman in parallel to reforms the Government has announced.

While the party backs Justice Minister Andrew Little's bill – which would allow voting at supermarkets and make changes to early voting rules – it says the reforms need to go further.

Yesterday,Ghahraman attended a parliamentary select committee to submit a wish-list of changes in-line with her bill, including a ban on foreign political donations, a cap on domestic ones, allowing prisoners to vote, changes to MMP making it easier for smaller parties to get into Parliament, and allowing Māori to change which electoral roll they were on at any time.

"This is likely the final opportunity to make substantive moves to protect and strengthen our democracy before the next election," she said.

But National Party MP Nick Smith asked if it was hypocritical of the Green Party to call for a $35,000 donation ban when it had received a $350,000 donation in December – the largest of any major political party in almost a decade.

"Not all. I am seeking to change the law so it's not up to individual political parties to say yes or no," Ghahraman said.

With Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this year ruling out any major electoral changes before 2020, any changes being sought by the Greens would have to wait for the next election.