So why are these important? Why is equal suffrage important? Why is the idea that every New Zealander should have an equal say in who governs them and in who makes the decisions affecting their lives and their families and their businesses and the ability to live in an open society—why is that important? Well, I would have thought that was fairly self-explanatory, but it seems to me a pretty fundamental part of who we are as New Zealanders is that all New Zealanders have one standard of citizenship and that their votes carry as much weight as their neighbour's. My vote carries as much weight as your vote, as his vote, and as her vote. Regardless of who our grandparents are or who we are, our votes are dealt with equally, and you just have to look around the rest of the world to see in other countries where a different approach is taken and it doesn't work out well.