Lizzie Marvelly highlights why we need a Ministry of Youth Affairs and why we need to lower the voting age

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intergenerational-theft

In Lizzie Marvelly’s excellent column last week, she pointed out our terrible failings as a society when it comes to sex education. Her follow up column this weekend focuses on the intergenerational theft children in poverty face against an older electorate who simply vote for their interests.

Both columns highlight why we need to have a Ministry of Youth Affairs. Young peoples interests are not respected our included in decision making and that leaves them high and dry. When it was announced last year that the Government were gutting the Ministry of Youth Affairs, there was not a murmur.  This is systematic of the disrespect given young people and their concerns.

It also highlights why we need to lower the voting age to 16.

The grim reality that policy is built for baby boomers and the rich is blindingly obvious to 18 year olds who have a cynical view of politics. The difficulty in getting them to engage is that they are actually right, the system is built by those who profit from it and numerically that’s baby boomers. The state subsidised universals of education, healthcare, superannuation and housing have been denied younger generations as they also have to deal with climate change which will impact them far more disproportionately than those with a property portfolio.

So how do we change the dynamics in NZ politics? We lower the voting age to 16. The sudden influx of tens of thousands of new voters with their own concerns and their own voice finally being heard could be the very means of not only lifting our participation rates, but reinvigorating the very value of our democracy.

How would we go about this? I think that a compulsory unit of the Social Studies curriculum is a civics course that explains NZer’s rights as citizens and the importance of democracy as our political system, and that part of this is activism by students to lower the voting age to 16 so that their views on the world they are inheriting can be heard.

If we want people to buy into society and the common bond upon us all, then we need to have a universal suffrage that takes into account those younger citizens whose interests are being ignored.

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We would be a better democracy for it.

 

UPDATE: Comrades,

I’d like to respond to some of the criticisms that have been levelled at my suggestion to lower the voting age.

The first is this – I’m not suggesting the age be lowered because I think that it will provide the left with extra votes – not at all. If you check with many young people, they adore and worship Max Key. 30 years of neoliberalism and consumer culture has warped their view of the world and what is important.Tune into the edge radio station to see that. I’m saying that the intergenerational weighting of democracy is towards boomers with property – hence their concerns and their issues are triumphant when it comes to policy. By opening up 16 and 17 year olds to politicians, it forces those parties to actually put together policy that attracts those voters.

Climate change won’t be dealt to by boomers – they will be dead before the worst effects are felt. Affordable housing doesn’t concern boomers, they’ve already got a bunch of houses. Free education doesn’t interest boomers (despite them benefiting from it). Free public transport for students is equally of no interest to them (despite them getting gold cards to do it themselves).

We spend a huge amount on old people because old people vote – allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote would force politicians to cater policy for those young people and their concerns. Better access to birth control, better sex health education, environmental policy that genuinely responds to their climate change realities, youth justice, employment opportunities and worker rights to protect young workers – these are all the realities of young people. Plus let’s not forget every 16 year old pays tax – directly through a part time job or indirectly through GST. Taxation without representation is one of the greatest arguments a citizen can demand from their state.

Such a change of course would require civics course in schools – and that’s a great thing. Awakening the democratic fire in our citizens at a young age is the perfect counter to the apathy that has plagued our last couple of elections. Expanding the universal suffrage of voting to younger generations who are facing future problems the current generation doesn’t want to deal with is a real and viable solution.

 

16 COMMENTS

  1. I am not so sure that by lowering the voting age would change anything.

    The only way for the young to be heard is for the young to become politically active and to force policy change in the existing political parties.
    And they still would need to get passed many of the older generation.

    Otherwise they will be just another vote blowing in the wind.

    And how many youngsters are interested in politics ?
    They have far more interesting things to think about.

  2. Lowering the voting age to 16 is beyond crazy. The only argument you need is to recall how stupid and naive we all were at 16, they mostly blind ideologues or just follow their parents vote.

    Should we also grant 16 year olds all the other privileges that come with the right to vote?

    • And which ones are those. Boozing in pubs seems to me to be the only thing you can’t do at 16. You can drive, you can have a child, you can marry, you can drink, you can be in paid work…….

      We weren’t all stupid at 16, there are many who are 60 who are stupid in my view!

    • Oh FFS.

      As an ex high school teacher I am telling you the PPTA has zero to say on what I taught in terms of views and values in my classroom.

      Nothing. No interference. I never had any idea what their political views were either. They had no idea what mine were.

      Because its bloody not relevant to teaching.

      So sick of the disrespect of teachers, from all angles, in New Zealand.

        • The PPTA has ZERO influence in what views are taught in the classroom.

          They have no influence on the curriculum either actually.

          None.

          Anecdotal evidence, but through my teaching career most of the teachers I taught alongside were quite obviously right wing.

    • Stupid comment, but valid point – should be more worried about targeted apps and media and constant advertising steering votes.

  3. I’d like to see reducing the voting age put to a referendum.

    Lizzie Marvelly’s columns are brilliant pieces of journalism, exposing all that is wrong in today’s present self absorbed society and the devastating results of the last 30 years of neo liberalism!

    Lizzie is a gem. Long may she be allowed to continue writing, offering up items of substance to debate. However, because the truth stings and given her slant on the issues, it’s possible she might be “moved along”, once the directive is given from the top, going the same way as Dita Di Boni, Mihinarangi Forbes, and John Campbell!

  4. Your thoughtful comments on inter generational neglect highlight the fact that few journalists represent this issue. I work with teenagers and see how disengaged they are with politics in general. Who can blame them, as you note, when they can clearly see how venal and inconsistent many adults are. Would they vote at sixteen any more than at eighteen, not sure, but worth a try. You can be sure that National would disenfranchise them anyway if their polling threw up any hint of youthful dissent TPP is one issue that I have noticed, does engage youthful resistance and this could be harnessed by politicians if they bothered to notice how engaged young people are with issues of copyright and freedom of expression. At present the main appeal seems to come from young Mr Act smarty pants, who has a knack of being quite amusing, to conceal his core selfishness. The left wing politicians need to be less pompous and patronising and they may find young voters are actually very interested in issues such as climate, identity, surveillance, workers and animal rights, food security, water pollution etc. They just don’t see many adults behaving with enough maturity about these issues to gain their respect.

  5. Your thoughtful comments on inter generational neglect highlight the fact that few journalists represent this issue. I work with teenagers and see how disengaged they are with politics in general. Who can blame them, as you note, when they can clearly see how venal and inconsistent many adults are. Would they vote at sixteen any more than at eighteen, not sure, but worth a try. You can be sure that National would disenfranchise them anyway if their polling threw up any hint of youthful dissent TPP is one issue that I have noticed, does engage youthful resistance and this could be harnessed by politicians if they bothered to notice how engaged young people are with issues of copyright and freedom of expression. At present the main appeal seems to come from young Mr Act smarty pants, who has a knack of being quite amusing, to conceal his core selfishness. The left wing politicians need to be less pompous and patronising and they may find young voters are actually very interested in issues such as climate, identity, surveillance, workers and animal rights, food security, water pollution etc. They just don’t see many adults behaving with enough maturity about these issues to gain their respect.

  6. Completely disagree Martyn and echo some of the other comments. I suspect you think 16 year olds should vote because they are more likely to vote left? I wouldn’t have so much faith in that notion. A 16 year old has l even less of a clue than a conservative middle aged voter.

    The real issue, as you yourself note in your blog, is conservative older voters. Easily solution to that, remove the right to vote once you hit a certain age… Perhaps 60 years old, 65 at the most. Lots of people would scoff at the idea, but it would solve a lot of problems and create progressive policies. And would certainly aid the reform to drug legislation, of which you keep writing about.

  7. Since New Zealand sets the age of criminal responsibility at 10 years of age and 10-year-olds can be charged with murder or manslaughter I think children from the age of 10 should be allowed to vote and have a say in the laws they are bound by. There are some protections up to the age of 17 but I say if we consider that a 10 year old has the ability to answer to a murder or manslaughter charge then they have the ability to vote. Simple

    http://www.justice.govt.nz/policy/constitutional-law-and-human-rights/human-rights/international-human-rights-instruments/international-human-rights-instruments-1/convention-against-torture/united-nations-convention-against-torture-and-other-cruel-inhuman-or-degrding-treatment-or-punishment-new-zealand-periodic-report-6/article-11/20-age-of-criminal-responsibility

  8. Somehow I don’t think 16 and 17 year olds would vote any differently than their parents.

    When NZ gave women the right to vote we found it changed the proportion of votes for each existing party very little. Families share common values. Kids often think as their parents have taught them to think.

    We do teach how our political system works in schools. There are some fabulous resources available for teachers. I taught it in year 9 and 10 Social Studies classes. It can be one of the funnest (yes, that’s a word) things to teach because you can get kids doing it. Creating their own parties, developing some policy, selecting candidates, a list, campaigning and then voting. Unfortunately many of the stale old teachers who are worn out see it as boring, and consequently teach it in a very boring way.

    We also teach the wider system of how our government works; the three branches of government and how select committees should work for example.

    Normally this teaching is done in an election year so its relevant to the kids.

    I’m pretty sure primary schools teach it at a simpler level too.

    Every cohort gets it at least once. And probably multiple times.

    And yet…. there seems to be this idea amongst non teachers in NZ that teachers aren’t teaching this stuff. I’m not quite sure where that comes from. But please. Please know it’s not true!

    And apart from teaching this stuff in schools, this is the kind of thing parents should be talking to their kids about. Taking them with them to a polling booth on election day. Discussing the state of NZ over the dinner table. It’s not just the job of teachers to get kids interested in their world. It’s their parents job as well.

  9. Comrades, I’ve been away camping for the weekend with my beloved Daughter so please excuse my tardiness in reply.

    I’d like to respond to some of the criticisms that have been levelled at my suggestion to lower the voting age.

    The first is this – I’m not suggesting the age be lowered because I think that it will provide the left with extra votes – not at all. If you check with many young people, they adore and worship Max Key. 30 years of neoliberalism and consumer culture has warped their view of the world and what is important.Tune into the edge radio station to see that. I’m saying that the intergenerational weighting of democracy is towards boomers with property – hence their concerns and their issues are triumphant when it comes to policy. By opening up 16 and 17 year olds to politicians, it forces those parties to actually put together policy that attracts those voters.

    Climate change won’t be dealt to by boomers – they will be dead before the worst effects are felt. Affordable housing doesn’t concern boomers, they’ve already got a bunch of houses. Free education doesn’t interest boomers (despite them benefiting from it). Free public transport for students is equally of no interest to them (despite them getting gold cards to do it themselves).

    We spend a huge amount on old people because old people vote – allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote would force politicians to cater policy for those young people and their concerns. Better access to birth control, better sex health education, environmental policy that genuinely responds to their climate change realities, youth justice, employment opportunities and worker rights to protect young workers – these are all the realities of young people. Plus let’s not forget every 16 year old pays tax – directly through a part time job or indirectly through GST. Taxation without representation is one of the greatest arguments a citizen can demand from their state.

    Such a change of course would require civics course in schools – and that’s a great thing. Awakening the democratic fire in our citizens at a young age is the perfect counter to the apathy that has plagued our last couple of elections. Expanding the universal suffrage of voting to younger generations who are facing future problems the current generation doesn’t want to deal with is a real and viable solution.

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