Enrol

The local government elections are a one-in-three year opportunity to have your say and be counted.

In order to vote, you need to be enrolled on either the residential roll or on the ratepayer electoral roll.

Residential roll

You are eligible to enrol on the residential roll if you:

• are 18 years of age or older; and
• are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and have lived in New Zealand continuously, at any time, for one year or more, and
• have lived at your current address for more than one month.

Those eligible to vote in the election are all resident electors and non-resident ratepayer electors whose names appear on the electoral roll when it closes on Friday 12 August 2022. The Preliminary Electoral Roll will be available for public inspection from Friday 15 July 2022 to Friday 12 August 2022 at the respective territorial authority offices and libraries within their districts.

All parliamentary electors, including those on the Māori Electoral Roll, are automatically enrolled on the Resident Roll, at the address where they live. Any alterations to the Resident Roll (eg change of address details, including new postal addresses) should be made by:

• completing the appropriate form at any post shop;
• phoning 0800 ENROLNOW (0800 367 656)
• accessing the Electoral Commission website (www.elections.org.nz)

Ratepayer roll

If a person is on the parliamentary roll in one area and pays rates on a property in another area, this person may be eligible to be enrolled on the non-resident ratepayer roll. A firm, company, corporation or society paying rates on a property may nominate one of its members or officers as a ratepayer elector (provided the nominated person resides outside the area). Ratepayer Roll enrolment forms are available at respective constituent territorial authority offices, websites or by phoning the electoral office on 0800 922 822.

Unpublished roll

Not everyone feels safe enough to have their details publicly available on the electoral roll, but that doesn't mean they lose the right to vote.

If you're concerned about your personal safety, or that of your family, you can apply to go on the confidential unpublished roll. Your details will be kept secure by the Electoral Commission and will not be given out.

To apply to go on the unpublished roll, visit the Electoral Commission's website (www.elections.org.nz) or call 0800 36 76 56.

Key dates

If you have not enrolled on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll, Unpublished Roll and/or Ratepayer Roll by 5 pm on the cut-off date (12 August) and would like to vote in the elections, you can cast a special vote. To cast a special vote you will need to:

• Submit your completed enrolment form to the appropriate Registrar of Electors (for the Parliamentary and Unpublished Electoral Rolls) or to Dale Ofsoski, Electoral Officer (for the Ratepayer Roll) by 8 October 2022 and
• Apply to the Electoral Officer at the city or district council in the area in which you live (or the area in which you pay rates if you are applying as a ratepayer elector) for a special vote and ensure that your completed vote is in the hands of the city or district council for which you are voting by 12 noon on 8 October 2022.