Why Make It 16?
Make It 16 is a youth-led, non-partisan campaign aiming to uplift and strengthen youth voices by lowering the voting age to 16. We believe 16 and 17-year-olds are just as affected by government decisions as people over 18 in areas such as...
Youth Mental Health
Our country has one of the worst youth mental health crises in the OECD
Education
Education where students are confidently prepared for their future is still yet to come
Climate Change
Climate change poses an existential threat to young people and our future generations
LGBTQ+ Issues
More than half of the LGBTQ+ population in NZ is under the age of 35 (stats.govt)
Living costs, housing and the economy
We face a future where economic decisions will greatly affect our lifestyle. We are the taxpayers who will have to pay off debt the government takes on now.
Young people will be—and are—already bearing the brunt of decisions made around all of these issues, with little to no say in the solutions. Decisions that affect us on issues that determine the course of our life are not being decided by us. As voices of the future, we deserve to have our say.