Ben McNulty: Wellington City Councillor says the Government will ignore calls to give 16-year-olds the vote

A Wellington City Councillor says he's not holding his breath on 16-year-olds getting the vote. 

The Council has reaffirmed its support for letting them participate in local body elections, with only four councillors opposed. 

Councillor Ben McNulty says it was a quick vote - and he was in favour.

But he says this Government's likely to ignore the call. 

"Whether LGNZ listens to Wellington, whether the Government then listens to LGNZ - who knows? It's purely symbolic."

McNulty says symbolism is sometimes important in politics. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Wellington City Councils and the News again for a different reason,
though not related to Tory. This time it voted today
to support allowing sixteen year olds to vote in local
body elections and make and will now make a submission
to local government New Zealand's Electoral Reform Group. Ben MacNulty
is a Wellington City councilor is with us now?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Have Ben cure to Heather Ben, why are you.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Guys doing this? It's not going to go anywhere? The
government said no, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Look there's a we're a member of Algae and Z right,
and as a member of Algian and Z we need
to import into their submissions and processes. And you're right,
whether Algae and Z listened to Wellington, whether the government
then listen to Algae and Z. Who's non So it's
purely symbolic, but it's still important sometimes to do symbolism
and politics. Right.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Why is this so important?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
I think it's important just in terms of the commitment
that we've made so we're a young person strategy that
we signed off. You know in the last triineum. We
have incredibly bright and intelligent young people in our city.
And I happen to believe in no taxation about representation,
and is about one hundred million that our work is
between sixteen to a teen in this country actually produce
an income tax, but they don't have any chance to

(01:04):
input or say in actually on their future. And I
think if you're old enough to operate a motor vehicle,
go to court, get married with parential permission, filling out
a few circles or numbers on a ballot paper is
not the scariest thing that a teenager can do. Then.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Look, I know that you guys have a lot of
things you can walk in chew gum at the same time,
but did any of you ever stop to think that
one of the criticisms of Wellington City Council right now
is that you guys get distracted by a whole bunch
of things other than, you know, outside of just dealing
with your actual jobs, which predominantly is trying to get
the pipes fixed, and that voting for something like this
may just reinforce that idea.

Speaker 2 (01:37):
Oh, I hear that feedback and I totally get it.
And unless you're used to the beast of the machinery
of council, you're right. Really, as we're walking tough gum
like this is our thirty minute item on an agenda
that we covered far more meaty things, and how that
place with the public, I get, but that can be received.
You know that we're not focused on the core stuff.
Totally fair criticism, But all I can say is, yeah,
it was thirty minutes. Are they about seven hour meeting today?

(01:58):
So it's not at the expense of anything important that
this kind of discussion occurs.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Who are you voting for Andrew Little or Ray Young?

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Oh, Andrew Little one t ten percent?

Speaker 1 (02:10):
You're a labor man, a I am a labor many.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Get that, but you know, no, Look, reality is you
need someone around the council who can actually bring the
council with them. And that's the problem that I'm Ray's
looking to bring in a whole new team because he's
been unable to work. And you would have seen Nicholie
Young and Christen Mason coming out with endorsements today of
Andrew and that's because they actually know that despite the politics,
but they don't agree with the pure competency to bring

(02:34):
people with him and work around the table and respect,
you know, but everyone's got views. I think that's what
he carries with them. That's pretty special.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Yeah, hey Ben, thank you, appreciate your time. That's been McNulty,
Wellington City councilor.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
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