Eligibility - General

How do I know if I am eligible to enrol?

Basically, you are qualified to enrol if:

• you are 18 years or older
• you are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident and
• you have lived in New Zealand for one year or more without leaving the country

There are some restrictions. These are listed on the enrolment form. You can pick up the form called "Enrolling to vote: Application" from your nearest New Zealand PostShop which you can fill in and leave at the counter or send back freepost.  Or, phone us free on 0800 ENROL NOW (0800 36 76 56) or send your name and address to Freetext 3676, and we will post the form out to you.

I am not yet enrolled. What do I do?

You need to fill in an enrolment form. If you are a New Zealand Māori or a Māori descendant you can use this form to say whether you want to be registered on the General or the Māori electoral roll.  Go to How to Enrol for further information.  Click Do it here!to enrol online.

What do I do with my completed enrolment form?

You can either:

• drop it into any PostShop or Registrar of Electors office
• post it (no stamp postage required) to FreePost 2 Enrol, Electoral Enrolment Centre, PO Box 190, Wellington 6140
• fax to us at (04) 801 0709.

How can I check if am already enrolled?

You can click Do it here! to check and update your details online.

Also, on 5 May 2008 all enrolled electors are sent an enrolment update pack for them to check and update their enrolment details.  If you have not received your pack by 7 May 2008, you are either not enrolled or your address details are out of date.  If this happens, you need to fill in an enrolment form. 

You can pick up an enrolment form called "Enrolling to vote: Application" from your nearest New Zealand PostShop which you can fill in and leave at the counter or send back freepost.  Or, phone us free on 0800 ENROL NOW (0800 36 76 56) or send your name and address to Freetext 3676, and we will post the form out to you.

Do I have to enrol? It's a waste of time voting anyway.

You are required by law to enrol to be registered on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll. However, unlike in some countries, voting is not compulsory in New Zealand.

Which electorate do I enrol for?

Generally, the electorate where you last lived for one month or more. If you are a student or someone who has had to move away from your home for work or study, you may still enrol at the address you call home even though you may have been away from this address for more than one month. Electorate boundaries have been reviewed. Go to Electorates to view the electorate boundaries.

When must I be enrolled by?

If you enrol by a month before the election you will receive an EasyVote information pack in the mail.  The pack includes useful information about voting including an EasyVote card.  You can vote without the EasyVote card but it will take longer. 

The last possible date you can enrol is the day before election day.

I am 17, can I enrol?

You can provisionally enrol at 17 years of age. This means that when you turn 18 your name will automatically go onto the electoral roll.

Click Do it here! to enrol online.

How long can I be out of New Zealand before my enrolment lapses?

If you are a New Zealand citizen you can be out of the country for three years continuously before you are no longer eligible to vote. If you are a permanent resident, the period is only one year. If you come back to New Zealand during this time your three years (or one year if you are a permanent resident) starts again.

What is meant by "permanent resident"?

A permanent resident is someone who has not taken up citizenship but who is entitled by law to live permanently in New Zealand. If you have to leave the country by a set date you are not a permanent resident for electoral purposes. This includes people who have student or visitor permits.

I have been out of the country for over three years and this is the first time I have been back. Am I eligible to enrol and if so, which electorate do I enrol for?

Yes, you are eligible to enrol. You must enrol for the address at which you last lived in New Zealand for one month or more.

Click on Do it here! to check your enrolment status.

My son/daughter is overseas travelling. Do they have to be enrolled?

The Electoral Act states that New Zealand citizens or permanent residents who are overseas may enrol if they choose but this is not required by law.

What happens if I am getting married soon?

Births, Deaths and Marriages will pass this information on to the Electoral Enrolment Centre. Your registrar of electors will contact you after the marriage date to get your new details if they have changed.

Do I have to tell the registrar of electors when I move to a new address?

Yes. Let your registrar of electors know every time you move so that they can update your enrolment details. You can do this by filling in a New Zealand Post mail redirection request at any PostShop or Registrar of Electors office. Alternatively, fill out a new enrolment form when you have lived at your new address for one month.

Click on Do it here! to update your details online.

I am a Māori. Do I have to go on the Māori Roll?

No. If you are enrolling as an elector for the first time you can decide whether you want to go on the General or the Māori roll.

I am on the Māori/General Roll and I want to change. How can I do that?

A Māori Electoral Option exercise takes place every five years following the population census. This is the only time that you change which roll you are on. Between the 2006 and 2012 Māori Electoral Option exercises you must remain on whichever roll you are already enrolled on.

How do I contact my registrar of electors?

You can find contact information for your registrar of electors here.

Are people who are in prison or psychiatric institutions entitled to enrol?

People who are in prison for a term of more than three years are not entitled to enrol while they are in prison. People who have been in a psychiatric hospital for more than three years after being charged with a criminal offence are also not eligible to enrol. Other psychiatric patients are entitled to enrol.

Can one person enrol on behalf of another?

Anyone can fill in an enrolment form for another person, providing the applicant signs the form. There are also provisions for electors who are physically disabled or mentally unable to sign and for people who live overseas.

What about people who are unable to sign or complete an enrolment form?

If a person is overseas they can get someone else to sign the form. See Enrolling when overseas.

If a person is physically unable to sign the form, any registered elector may sign for them. They must write on the form "Elector physically disabled - signed by their direction". People who hold a Power of Attorney must sign and state "Elector physically disabled - Power of Attorney".

If a person is regarded as mentally unable to complete an enrolment form, it can be completed for them by:

• any registered elector, or
• an appointed welfare guardian, or
• an attorney appointed by that person.

A separate form must also be filled in stating why the enrolment form has been completed on behalf of the elector.

Both forms can be requested by emailing us at enrol@elections.org.nz

Security of information

Why do you want information about how long I have lived at my address, my past address etc?

We only need to know your previous address if you haven't lived at your present address for at least one month. This is to confirm the address you last resided at for at least one month to determine which electorate you are eligible to vote in.

What information is shown on the printed electoral roll?

The full name, residential address and occupation of each elector is the only information that is shown.

Why do you want my date of birth?

Your date of birth is needed to check that you are of the required age to be on the roll and to help identify possible enrolment duplicates.

An elector's date of birth is confidential and is not released to anyone.

Who else gets copies of electoral information?

The Electoral Enrolment Centre is required by law to give local councils lists of electors to compile their electoral rolls. Electoral rolls are also used to randomly select potential jurors.

Political parties, candidates and approved scientific/health researchers are also entitled to enrolment data. However, an elector's date of birth is confidential and is never released.

I want to enrol but I don't want my ex-spouse/partner to find out where I live. What can I do?

A confidential "unpublished" roll is available for people who believe that their life could be endangered if their personal details were included on the public electoral roll. You can apply to have your name kept confidential by writing to Freepost 2 Enrol, Chief Registrar of Electors, PO Box 190, Wellington 6140. You will need to say why you wish to be listed on the unpublished roll and you will need to include any supporting information you may have, eg, a protection order, restraining order, letter from police/solicitor. You do not need to use a stamp when you post this information.

Click here for an unpublished roll application form (.pdf, 54kb)

How do you know that the information on returned forms is correct and that the form is signed by the right person?

Anyone who fraudulently fills out a form can be prosecuted. In addition, printed electoral rolls are made publicly available and any elector may challenge another elector's eligibility. The Electoral Enrolment Centre also carries out a number of internal system checks designed to identify ineligible electors.

Why is the enrolment form so complicated?

We have attempted to make the form as simple as possible to fill in. Please call your local Registrar of Electors or 0800 ENROL NOW (0800 36 76 56) if you would like help filling this in. We need to get all of the information requested on the form to check your eligibility to enrol and to keep the electoral roll as accurate as possible.

Electorates

During the year I spend half my time at my beach cottage and other half in the city or I spend the working week in the city and return to my family for weekends. Where should I enrol?

You should enrol at the address that you regard as your home.

I am a student in another city, where should I enrol?

You should enrol at the address that you regard as your home.

Do I have to tell the Registrar of Electors when I move to a new address?

Yes. You should contact your Registrar of Electors every time you change address.

You can do this by filling out a New Zealand Post mail redirection form at any PostShop or Registrar of Elector's office or you can fill out a new enrolment form when you have lived at your new address for one month.

Click Do it here! to update your details online.

Is my electorate likely to change in future?

That will depend on future population changes. Each electorate is made up of roughly the same number of people. Every five years, after the population census, the number of people in each electorate is reviewed. Electorate boundaries are changed to make sure that each electorate continues to have around the same number of people.

Do I have to vote?

No.  The decision to vote is a personal choice, however it is a legal requirement to be Enrolled so that you can choose to vote if you want to.

Can I vote for the MP in my last electorate?

You must vote for a candidate who is standing for the electorate you are currently enrolled in. This is the electorate where you last lived continuously for one month or more.

Any further queries?

Send an e-mail to enrol@elections.org.nz