You need to enrol by 1 August to be able to receive your voting papers in the mail. If you enrol after this date, you will need to attend a council office to cast a 'special vote'.

An application to enrol can be made online at vote.nz. The identity verification needed is a New Zealand driver licence, New Zealand passport or RealMe verified identity. 

If you are not able to enrol online, you can enrol or update your details in other ways, more information can be found here on the Electoral Commission website or you can call 0800 36 76 56 to arrange for forms to be sent to you directly. 

If you are of Māori descent and enrolling for the first time, you can decide which electoral roll you want to be on - the general roll or the Māori roll. If you’re on the Māori roll, you will vote for a candidate in the Māori ward. 

If you are already enrolled (Māori or general roll) you can change your roll type at any time except: 

• In the 3 months before local elections, which are held every 3 years.
• In the 3 months before a general election, which are held every 4 years.
• Before a parliamentary by-election if the change would move you into the electorate where the by-election is being held.

In 2025, the option to change rolls prior to the local elections will close on 11 July.

No. Everyone enrolled to vote will get to take part in the binding poll alongside the 2025 local election.

People living overseas can take part but must ensure that they are correctly enrolled with an overseas postal address in order to receive their voting papers by mail. Voting papers for local elections cannot be downloaded electronically. 

Not everyone feels safe enough to have their details publicly available on the electoral roll, but that doesn’t mean you lose the right to vote. You can enrol by filling out the form here.

If you are registered on the Unpublished roll and want to vote in the local elections, you will need to apply for a special vote at your local council. Those registered on the Unpublished roll will receive a letter from the Electoral Commission confirming contact options.

Voters who live in one area and pay rates on a property in another area may qualify to vote in both areas. To do this, you need to be registered on the Ratepayer roll.  To apply, contact the electoral officer for the local council area where you pay rates but do not live. The Electoral Officer will send you a form to complete, sign and return so they can check you’re eligible.

You can see all the Electoral Officers in New Zealand here. The Electoral Officer for Matamata-Piako District Council is Warwick Lampp, and you can contact him on 0800 666 048 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..