The time to decide between the general or Māori roll is now.
A campaign to raise awareness of the electoral roll choice for Māori has been launched by the Electoral Commission.
“For people of Māori descent, now is the time to choose between enrolling on the Māori roll or the general roll,” says Shane Whitfield, the commission’s Director for Strategic Engagement and Partnership. “Your choice will determine which electorate you vote in. There’s no wrong choice - just make the one that works for you.”
For those already enrolled Thursday August 6 is the deadline for choosing which roll to be on for the general election which is to be held on November 7.
Whitfield says there is a three-month period before election day when people cannot switch rolls.
“If you’re happy with the roll you’re on you don’t need to do anything. If you’d like to change rolls before the election, do it now.”
He says the choice between rolls - the Māori Electoral Option - is for people who whakapapa Māori or have Māori heritage.
Whitfield says there is a focus on getting all New Zealanders enrolled early for this election because recent law changes mean they won’t be able to enrol and vote at the same time.
“So, we’re making enrolment really accessible in the community in a range of ways that people can connect with,” he says.
The Electoral Commission Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri is the independent crown agency responsible for running parliamentary elections and keeping the electoral rolls up to date. Whitfield says it aims to make enrolment as accessible as possible.
“We’re doing a number of different things to take enrolment out into communities. That includes mobile enrolment, taking pop-up hubs out into various communities across the country and we’ll be promoting them via social media so you’ll know they’re coming to a town near you.
“We have a youth action plan and our teams will be in spaces where young people gather to support them to enrol and vote,” Whitfield says.
“We’ll be creating enrolment hubs, setting up static hubs in malls and other locations, so when you’re going about your daily life, you can pop into an enrolment hub while you’re at the mall. The hubs will be up and running from September.”
There will also be a large-scale public information campaign, providing key messages about the actions people need to take, and how and where to do it, to participate in the three-yearly vote.
Whitfield says a large part of the commission’s work is educating people about how our electoral system works and why it’s important to take part – “especially people who have never voted before. That can be because they’ve just turned 18 or maybe voting hasn’t been part of what their family has done,” he says.
“We have community engagement teams who go out into communities and explain why it’s important to vote and how you do it.”
Community groups can get involved, too. “We have a community education fund, so we’re going to be providing some funding to community groups who would like to deliver enrolment activity in their community in a way that works for them, providing them with a little bit of extra resource to get out into communities to talk to people and convey the messages around getting enrolled.”
What you need to know
To vote in this year’s election, you need to be enrolled before voting starts. To enrol, update your address, or change your roll type online, visit Enrol or update online | Vote NZ
You must be 18 by November 7 to vote.
If you are 17, you can fill out an enrolment form now. On your 18th birthday, you will be automatically enrolled and ready to vote.
The first enrolment milestone is for Māori voters, and it’s about choosing which roll to be on for this year’s election - the Māori roll or the general roll. If you’re on the Māori roll, you’ll vote in a Māori electorate, and if you’re on the general roll you’ll vote in a general electorate.
If you’re Māori and already enrolled, you should have got an enrolment pack in the mail. If you haven’t received a pack, it means you’re not enrolled or the Electoral Commission has an old address for you.
If you’re happy with the roll you’re on - kei te pai - you don’t need to do anything. If you’d like to change the roll you’re on before the election, you need to do it by August 6. You can’t change rolls in the three months before the election.
If you’re not enrolled, you choose the roll you want to be on - Māori or general - when you first enrol. You can enrol online at vote.nz using your NZ driver licence, NZ passport or RealMe verified identity, or fill in a form at an enrolment hub. Visit Māori Electoral Option | Vote NZ
Community groups can apply for funding for projects that boost enrolment in their area. Visit Community Education Fund | Elections NZ
Dates for your diary
Sunday October 4 Everyone enrolled by this date gets an EasyVote card by mail or email.
Wednesday October 21 Overseas voting starts.
Sunday October 25 Last day to enrol to vote.
Monday October 26 Advance voting begins.
Friday November 6 Advance voting ends. All election advertising must be taken down by midnight.
Saturday November 7 Election Day
More information
Find out more about your roll choice.
Māori Electoral Option | Vote NZ
Go to vote.nz to enrol, check your address is up to date, or change rolls. Enrol or update online | Vote NZ
Call freephone 0800 36 76 56 to ask for an enrolment form to be sent to you, or text your name and address to 3676 and we’ll post you a form.
For a weekly update on where the Electoral Commission’s community teams will be, visit Enrolment in your community | Vote NZ
Find out more about the Community Education Fund Community Education Fund | Elections NZ