Getting our future voters involved in local democracy

2 March 2022

Aotearoa’s tamariki can experience local council elections first-hand as voters in the Ngā Pōti ā-Taiohi - Youth Voting 2022 programme.

Capturing tamariki’s imaginations, the Ngā Pōti ā-Taiohi - Youth Voting 2022 programme for years 7-10 helps our young people see how they can  help shape their communities by voting for people who represent their ideas or beliefs.

Run by Local Government New Zealand as a part of the VOTE 2022 campaign, Ngā Pōti ā-Taiohi gives students the opportunity to run their own elections alongside local body elections in October.

Youth voting gives students the opportunity to engage with the most pressing issues, decide which candidates best represent what’s important to them, and vote for real candidates in their region.

The programme is designed to align with the civics education theme in the existing school curriculum and teachers can register now for Youth Voting 2022.

“Even though the youth votes aren’t part of the official election results, the experience of participating in an election is important for our future voters to understand that their voice, and their vote will count when they can vote as adults.” says Dr Mike Reid, principal policy advisor at LGNZ and long-time local democracy advocate.

Kaiako and teachers that register will be provided with the resources to plan and run an election in their classroom in time for the local body elections in October. We’ll also include an updated Teacher’s Guide for 2022 and background information on how to contact local candidates and conduct local campaigns.

Ngā Pōti ā-Taiohi - Youth Voting 2022 is a part of the VOTE 2022 campaign by Local Government New Zealand and Taituarā. VOTE 2022 will be a national conversation about diversity and a place for everyone in local government, supporting candidates as they stand and improving voter turn-out in local authority elections.

Here at LGNZ, our vision for is Aotearoa to be the most active and inclusive local democracy in the world.