Voting for this year’s local body elections has begun, which is bringing increasing scrutiny to the issue of voter engagement.

Particularly for young people, Maori and Pasifika, but also for the general population, voter participation in local elections is relatively low and on the decline.

In regards to next year’s national election, the Independant Electoral Review Panel has begun seeking public input on potential changes to the electoral system that could benefit New Zealand’s democracy.

For Casper's weekly catch-up with National MP Dr Shane Reti, they discussed this topic of voter engagement as well as what might be expected from this electoral review and which changes he might believe to be useful.