Nau mai, haere mai

Welcome to the Electoral Commission’s latest update, keeping you informed about work underway at Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri this election year.
In this edition, we will be sharing some key information about the Māori Electoral Option and our preparations for the 2026 General Election.
You can expect to hear from us throughout the year so look out for more updates!

The Māori Electoral Option -Te Kōwhiringa Pōti Māori –
is a unique choice for Māori about which electoral roll to be on: the Māori roll or the general roll.

Māori voters should have received an information pack in the mail by now about the roll choice for this year’s election.
We have sent packs to 562,000 voters of Māori descent on the general roll and the Māori roll.
If you’re Māori, you choose the Māori roll or general roll when you first enrol to vote. After that, you can change rolls any time, except in the 3 months before an election.
Your roll choice affects which candidates you can vote for but does not affect your party vote. It can also influence the number of Māori and general seats in Parliament.
If you’re happy with the roll you’re on, you don’t need to do anything.
If you’d like to change rolls, you need to make the change by midnight, Thursday 6 August.
If you’re Māori and haven’t received a pack, it means we have an old address for you, or you’re not enrolled.
Enrol or check your roll today at vote.nz or call 0800 36 76 56.

Resources you can share
Help us spread the word about the Māori Electoral Option!
Check out some of our resources on vote.nz in both English and te reo Māori that can be shared with whānau and iwi.
Resources include alternate formats in audio, Braille, Easy Read, large print, and New Zealand Sign Language.
We’ll be adding new resources on vote.nz as the Māori Electoral Option campaign progresses.

What’s different this election year?

Work is well underway at the Commission to support voters to be enrolled and ready to vote in 2026.

Following electoral law changes, enrolment will now close before advance voting starts. That means people cannot enrol and vote at the same time.
The 2026 General Election will be held on Saturday 7 November.
Our focus in 2026 will be on ensuring people enrol earlier. If you enrol by 4 October, your name will be on the printed electoral roll and you can receive an EasyVote card, which makes voting easier.
If you’re eligible to vote, the last day to enrol is midnight, Sunday 25 October.
The Commission is undertaking a nationwide information and education programme including community engagement to let you know when to enrol, and how to do it.
Keep an eye out for Orange Guy and Pup!

Find out more about the 2026 General Election

Help us keep in contact with you
You may notice more emails and texts from us this year reminding you to enrol or update your details to get ready for the 2026 General Election.
If we have your email address and phone number, it will help us stay in contact with you about enrolling and voting.
You can enrol, check or update your details online at vote.nz or call freephone 0800 36 76 56.

Help your community enrol to vote!

We have launched a Community Education Fund to provide grants of up to $25,000 to local organisations.
We want to work with communities to create as many enrolment opportunities as possible and this Fund will help us to expand our coverage.
This will include supporting communities that have lower rates of enrolment and participation to be ready to vote.
The fund is split into two parts: Māori Electoral Option and General Election.
For more information about the fund and how to apply, head to elections.nz.
If you have any questions, you can email cef@elections.govt.nz.

Support available for disabled candidates

If you, or someone you know, are planning to be a candidate in the upcoming general election, and have a disability, support is available.
Applications are open for the Election Access Fund Te Tomokanga — Pūtea Whakatapoko Pōtitanga.

The Fund can be used to cover costs that only disabled candidates face during selection and campaigning.
This could include hiring New Zealand Sign Language interpreters, portable ramps, or personal assistance.
Find out more about the Fund and how to apply on elections.nz.

Kids Voting – Te Pōti a Ngā Tamariki 2026

Each election year, the Electoral Commission provides a fun, free, and easy civics education programme to schools and kura.
This programme gives young New Zealanders the opportunity to explore real-life election issues and get a first-hand voting experience through a mock election.

More than 260 schools have already registered!
For more information, including how to register, visit elections.nz.

Did you know?

This year we will print about 9 million voting papers for our voting places.
We will recruit more than 25,000 people to deliver the 2026 General Election.
More than 3.6 million enrolment update packs will be sent out to eligible voters in August.