The Māori Roll call continues as the July cut off date draws nearer

Māori have until July 13 to decide which roll they want to vote on. Photo / File

With six weeks to go before close off, thousands of Māori have made the move to the Māori roll, while thousands have gone against the trend.

The latest data from the Electoral Commission show since 31 March to May 23, 24,364 voters of Māori descent have changed rolls, enrolled for the first time, or updated their details.

* 9,501 people have changed rolls – 5,102 from the general roll to the Māori roll, and 4,399 from the Māori roll to the general roll.

* There have been 1,121 new enrolments on the Māori roll and 736 new enrolments on the general roll.

* Another 13,006 people haven’t changed rolls but have taken the opportunity to update their details on the electoral roll, for example, their address.

The Electoral Commission’s engagement teams are working in communities to raise awareness about the Option and a nationwide advertising campaign is underway.

If you’re Māori, you choose the Māori roll or the general roll when you first enrol to vote. After that, you can change the roll you’re on any time except in the 3 months before an election.

Māori who are enrolled to vote and want to change the roll they are on before this year’s election need to do it by 13 July.

People can enrol, update their address, and change rolls if they would like to online at vote.nz, or call 0800 36 76 56 to ask for an enrolment form to be sent to them in the mail.