---
title: Make It 16
type: campaign
status: active
country: NZ
website: https://www.makeit16.org.nz
logo: /assets/org-logos/make-it-16.png
contact:
  checked: 2026-08-09
  email: hello@makeit16.org.nz
  source: https://www.makeit16.org.nz
summary: A youth-led, non-partisan campaign to lower New Zealand's voting age to 16
  — won a Supreme Court ruling that the voting age of 18 breaches the Bill of Rights
  for 16- and 17-year-olds.
concepts:
- democracy
- representative-democracy
location:
  latitude: -41.2865
  longitude: 174.7762
  name: Wellington, New Zealand
  precision: city
events:
- date: '2019-09-01'
  title: Campaign launched out of New Zealand Youth Parliament
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_It_16_(New_Zealand)
  quote: was formed out of the New Zealand Youth Parliament
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
- date: '2020-10-07'
  title: High Court rules voting age of 18 is age discrimination but a justified limit
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_It_16_(New_Zealand)
  quote: filed legal action with the High Court of New Zealand
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: false
- date: '2021-12-14'
  title: Court of Appeal rules voting age of 18 is unjustified age discrimination
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_It_16_(New_Zealand)
  quote: Court of Appeal of New Zealand ruled that the voting age of 18 was unjustified
    age discrimination
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: false
- date: '2022-11-21'
  title: Supreme Court issues declaration of inconsistency — rules voting age of 18
    breaches Bill of Rights for 16- and 17-year-olds
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_It_16_(New_Zealand)
  quote: Supreme Court of New Zealand issued
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
- date: '2023-08-29'
  title: Electoral (Lowering Voting Age) Bill passes first reading in Parliament
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_It_16_(New_Zealand)
  quote: bill passed its first reading
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: false
activity:
  dod:
    checked: 2026-08-09
    date: 2026-08-09
    note: Confirmed live (HTTP 200), site current
last_checked: '2026-08-09'
---

Make It 16 is a youth-led campaign to lower New Zealand's voting age from 18 to 16. It is among the most legally significant voting-rights campaigns in the democratic world: in 2022, New Zealand's Supreme Court ruled that the current voting age of 18 constitutes a breach of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act for 16- and 17-year-olds — an unjustified limit on the right to be free from age discrimination. The ruling did not itself change the law (that requires a 75% parliamentary majority or a referendum), but it established that the current law is rights-infringing, putting the onus on parliament to justify maintaining it.

The campaign's argument is both rights-based and practical: 16-year-olds can work full-time, consent to medical treatment, pay taxes, and drive, but cannot vote on the decisions that shape those domains. Research on the countries that have lowered the voting age (Austria, Scotland, Wales, among others) suggests that voting at 16 increases turnout among first-time voters and creates lifelong voting habits, strengthening democratic participation overall.

## Links

- Website: [makeit16.org.nz](https://www.makeit16.org.nz)

## See also

- [Democracy](../concepts/democracy.md)
- [Representative Democracy](../concepts/representative-democracy.md)