The Government recently scrapped plans that would allow 16-year-olds to vote in local elections.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says they will not be entertaining the previous Government's voting age bill - calling it a costly distraction.

Minister Brown says local Governments need to focus on fixing their own infrastructure issues rather than pushing this legislation through. 

"There's a lot of activism around this particular issue- I'd just encourage councils who are interested in lowering the voting age to stay focused on delivering their local infrastructure and services for their communities."

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