'Indicative' means the Government does not have to act on the outcome of the referendum.

One example of this was the citizen-initiated corporal punishment referendum of 2009, when 87.4 percent of respondents answered 'no' to the question: "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?"

Despite the result of the referendum, the Government did not change its anti-smacking laws.

The cannabis legalisation and control referendum, which you will have the opportunity to vote on at the same time as the euthanasia referendum, is also indicative.

The End of Life Choice referendum will be held alongside the general election and the cannabis legalisation and control referendum on September 19, 2020.

When you go to vote, you will be given one voting paper for the election, and another for the referendums. You must be eligible and enrolled to vote to have your say.

If you're in New Zealand, you'll be able to vote when advance voting starts on September 5. If you'll be overseas at the time, you can vote from overseas from September 2.

A Newshub-Reid Research poll held in February 2020 found 61.9 percent of would vote 'yes' in the End of Life Choice referendum, while just 23.7 percent would vote 'no'.

That echoes results of another poll in early 2018 that showed 71 percent of people would support allowing terminally ill patients to choose to die with the help and approval of their doctors.

Another poll conducted by Three's The Hui and Horizon Research in March 2020 shows 72 percent of Maori would vote in support of the End of Life Choice Bill.

A poll by Euthanasia-Free NZ and Curia Market Research released last month shows things are more evenly split, with 57 percent of respondents agreeing and 43 percent disagreeing with allowing doctors to administer lethal doses of drugs to patients.

However Seymour, whose work resulted in this year's referendum, told Stuff the results are misleading because the question asked did not reflect the nature of the End of Life Choice Bill.

"The majority of New Zealanders have seen bad death and they're saying, 'when my time comes, not for me - it's my life and it should be my choice'," he told Newshub.

Euthanasia is not an issue that sits neatly along party lines.

In the End of Life Choice Bill's third reading, the majority of MPs were allowed a conscience vote. It was this vote that saw the Bill put to a referendum.

This meant National MPs Maggie Barry and Chris Bishop - Parliament's most outspoken critics and supporters of the Bill respectively - were able to vote truthfully on an issue deeply personal to them.

Labour, too, voted on conscience.

New Zealand First all voted in favour of the Bill in its third reading, after leader Winston Peters agreed that his MPs would do so only if the issue was put to a public vote.

The Green Party voted as a bloc to support the Bill, conditional on an amendment that made eligibility for euthanasia more narrow. It said in 2016 that it would support voluntary euthanasia if it got into government.

The ACT Party, with Seymour at the helm, is in favour of legalising voluntary euthanasia.

Read more from the original source:

Euthanasia referendum explained: Everything you need to know about the End of Life Choice Bill decision - Newshub