Participants would be selected at random from across the country - but in a way that ensures the group reflects the population. That means a mix of ages, regions, incomes, life experiences and views. New Zealand would be drawing on a long history of international best practice to get this right - including fair recruitment, opt-in/out processes and designing schedules that respect work and family commitments.

In short, on the big, long-term issues that politicians have consistently failed to deliver on. Issues like climate adaptation, housing reform, superannuation, constitutional changes, or preparing for AI and automation in the workforce are all good issues for a Citizens' Assembly.

Public consultation via select committee isn't working. This critical voice of the people is increasingly being limited, handed to AI or avoided entirely. Even when they are given the time and resources to function as designed - public consultation favours those with the time, resources, or confidence to participate. Writing a detailed submission takes hours and showing up to a session on a weekday morning isn't an option for most people.

Referendums are a useful tool, but they ask a yes or no question to Citizens and aren't designed for Citizen-led policy development on gridlocked issues.

The Citizens' Voice approach will ensure everyone gets a chance to participate in policy-making - or can at least have confidence that someone like them has a seat at the table. Most importantly, the final recommendations will reflect the views of everyday people, not the conclusions of politicians.

There will be many ways to participate, depending on the issue. You might share your thoughts in a survey, attend a local forum, or even be selected to join a citizens' assembly. The goal is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to contribute, no matter their background or circumstances. Participants will be compensated for their time, so people from all economic backgrounds can be involved. To start, sign up for TOP's newsletter to stay up to date on the Citizens' Voice policy.

Participants are usually paid a stipend equivalent to a part-time salary, and the process is designed around normal work and life obligations. It would be similar to how we handle jury duty, parental leave or emergency service call-ups. The goal is to make sure no one is left out because of money or time.

The length of an Assembly depends on the issue. For something complex like climate policy or health reform, the process could take 6–12 months, with participants usually working on a part-time basis. The key is not rushing, because good deliberation takes time. Compared to the cost of rushed, abandoned or unpopular policies, this can be time very well spent.

Citizens' Assemblies have a proven track record, going all the way back to the roots of democracy - Athens. Ancient Athenians used sortition (lottery) to pick citizens for their governing committees, avoiding corruption. This system lasted for hundreds of years.

More recently, Citizens' Assemblies have been used by the Irish to navigate tense issues like marriage equality, or by the French in the wake of the Yellow Vest protests. In New Zealand, a group of randomly selected Aucklanders used a Citizens' Assembly to set a course for their city's water infrastructure. Their four recommendations were adopted by the Watercare Services board.

Citizens' Assemblies are a missing layer in our political system. Right now, most decisions are made by politicians under pressure from their base, lobbyists and poll results. A Citizens' Assembly brings in the people's voice - a voice that isn't trying to win the next election or push a political agenda. It's a way to bring real-world experience into policymaking on the big issues.

Citizens' Assemblies aren't perfect though. They need to be well designed and funded to work well. Critically, they need political heft to ensure the policy recommendations made by Citizens aren't ignored. This is why the Citizens' Voice policy also creates a Parliamentary Commissioner role, to advocate for the recommendations once the deliberation is done.

That depends on how many Assemblies are run each year and how they're designed. Several full-scale Assemblies annually would likely cost around $10–15 million. That's a small investment for intergenerational, bi-partisan decisions that could save on money and resources by avoiding costly policy mistakes.

Assemblies usually run over several months on a part-time basis - bringing together around 100 Citizens. Participants hear from experts, impacted communities and other stakeholders - with support from politically neutral, professional staff. They ask questions, test ideas and explore solutions. They also have access to tools for large-scale public input, like digital surveys and workshops, and they might take field trips or host targeted focus groups. Over time, they debate, find common ground, deliberate and draft a set of recommendations that are formally delivered to Parliament for a response.

Yes. Deliberative democracy processes have a long history and have led to successful outcomes in places such as Ireland, Wales, Taiwan and Iceland. Deliberative democracy processes have also been used intermittently in local government in New Zealand - the best examples being in Auckland with Watercare and Auckland Transport.

A Citizens' Assembly doesn't replace parliament. It strengthens it by making sure big, long-term decisions aren't made in a political bubble under the pressures Politicians usually face (like pleasing their base or campaigning for re-election). Politicians still make the final decision to adopt an Assembly's recommendations, turn it into law and execute on the policy direction.

Translating recommendations into policy can be a challenge for Citizens' Assemblies. Delivery of the recommendations would prompt a debate in Parliament, where the Government can explain how they plan to respond and opposition Parties can challenge them on it. To give Assemblies more political heft, the Citizens' Voice policy includes an independent Parliamentary Commissioner role. As well as convening Citizens' Assemblies, their job is to report on the Government's response to Assembly recommendations - naming and shaming essentially.

Ultimately, an Assembly's role is to give politicians social license to act - especially if that action is divisive, contested or unpopular. Being able to say to the Party base or big donors "sorry guys, but there's nothing I can do - it's what the people want" might be just what our political system needs.

Māori will participate and present their views alongside their fellow citizens in the Assembly, and like other stakeholders, iwi and other Māori groups will be fully able to contribute to the consideration process. Where a topic directly affects a group (for example if the Assembly is considering te Tiriti itself), the Commissioner will be responsible for proactively supporting that group's engagement with the Assembly.

This is rare. When designed and managed well, most Assemblies end up with moderate, well-reasoned recommendations. When you bring together a cross-section of society, people tend to think carefully and aim for solutions that work in the real world - based on their real world experience.

Assemblies are built to expose participants to multiple perspectives - with time to reflect, question and challenge. When given space to think, most people are capable of balanced, nuanced judgement and able to find common ground with people they might disagree with.

The Commissioner will resource and proactively support engagement with communities with specific interests in a topic under consideration. This could include structured engagement with bodies that represent those communities such as recognized Disabled Persons Organisations (for parts of the disability community), iwi or inter-iwi bodies (for Māori) or local councils or even local level citizens' assemblies (for geographic areas).

Yep. The best one yet!