The AM Show hosts were flabbergasted after a viewer wrote in suggesting it was a mistake to allow women to vote.
The Green Party has come out in support of lowering the voting age to 16, with MP Golriz Ghahraman saying it was common sense.
- Greens back lowering voting age to 16
- Poll: Should 16-year-olds be allowed to vote?
- The youth vote and why you should give a damn
"We let them leave school, we let them get a job and pay tax. So in fact, it's probably unfair those young people have no say in the representative democracy that they live in," Ghahraman said.
The AM Show put the idea to the audience on Friday morning, asking for feedback.
"'The Greens are so transparent Duncan,' says Quentin. 'A selfish, self-promoting Bill. Give them another shovel and keep digging'," The AM Show host Duncan Garner read out.
"'No way, the Greens are only thinking they will get the votes of all the school students who march against climate change. I am so over this,' says Jan."
But one letter Garner read out went even further, shocking the hosts.
"'We already made the huge mistake of allowing women to vote. Let's not make another one by lowering the age to 16.'"
Gasps could be heard around the studio, with stunned sports reader Mark Richardson calling it the "hot take of the year". Newsreader Carly Flynn was also speechless.
"1897 called, they want their women back and they want you back as well," Garner said before quickly moving onto the next segment of the show.
The Greens have added their proposal to Ghahraman's Strengthening Democracy Member's Bill, which would also overturn the prisoner voting ban, adopt recommendations made by the 2012 MMP review and tighten limits on party donations.
The Greens want their suggestions rolled into Justice Minister Andrew Little's Electoral Amendment Bill, which is currently at the select committee stage.
Little has previously said lowering the voting age is "not part of the coalition agreement between Labour and New Zealand First or the confidence and supply agreement between Labour and the Greens".
National Party MP youth spokesperson Nicola Willis told Newshub in July her party opposes letting 16-year-olds vote.
Newshub.
