One of the most discussed topics alongside lowering the voting age is the need for better civics education. While there have been calls for better civics education for decades, we believe lowering the voting age is a catalyst for this to happen. In reality, lowering the voting age would not only make civics education more relevant and engaging for young people, but it would also create more pressure to ensure it is consistently taught across Aotearoa.

 

Currently, New Zealand doesn’t have a compulsory civics education curriculum. How it is taught (or even whether civics is taught at all) is left up to individual schools. Recent additions like the School Leaver’s Toolkit have helped, but these resources are optional and only made for students up to Year 10. This means many young people stop learning about voting and democracy by the time they’re 14 or 15. Once they reach 18, they may have forgotten what they learned or lost interest altogether.

 

The inconsistency in civics education also creates inequities. Students in schools that lack the resources to teach civics miss out on essential knowledge about how our political system functions and why participation matters –something every citizen deserves to understand. The disconnect between learning about democracy and being able to participate in it could be a major reason why voter turnout remains low in both local and general elections.

 

Lowering the voting age would change this. By allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote, civics education would become immediately relevant, engaging, and practical. It would also create pressure for the government to invest in stronger, more consistent civics education across all schools. Ultimately, a lower voting age would help produce more informed, engaged, and confident voters, benefiting not just young people but the health of our democracy as a whole.

 

*School Leaver's Toolkit for Students & School Leaver's Toolkit for Teachers - Civics Curriculum