General or Māori electoral roll
If you’re of New Zealand Māori descent, you can choose to enrol on the Māori roll or the general roll. The roll you choose may affect who you can vote for at local elections.
- If you choose the Māori roll, you will vote for candidates in the Māori ward.
- If you choose the general roll, you will vote for candidates in a general ward or constituency.
No matter which roll you’re on, you will choose from the same list of candidates when making your vote for mayor.
Māori wards in Local Government are the equivalent of Māori electorates, or seats, in Central Government. Their purpose is to provide specific democratic representation for Māori who otherwise may not have a voice in government. Only those on the Māori Parliamentary electoral roll can vote for candidates standing in the Māori wards.
Māori wards exist alongside general wards, covering the same geographic areas, but they do not only represent Māori. Like all Elected Members, whether elected from general or Māori wards, they represent the entire community when sitting on Council.
How to change your roll
If you would like to change your roll type in time for the local elections, you need to do so by midnight, Thursday 10 July. You can’t change rolls in the three months before the local elections.
You can change your roll by completing and returning the form in your enrolment update pack. You can also change your roll online, or by completing and returning a printed enrolment form.
If you change your roll after Thursday 10 July, the change will not be processed until after the local elections.
Māori wards create areas where only those on the Māori Parliamentary electoral roll vote for the candidates in that ward/constituency.
The Māori wards and constituencies sit alongside the general wards of each city, district, or regional council.
Only people on the Māori electoral roll can vote for candidates standing for a Māori ward and constituency. Similarly, only those on the general electoral roll can vote for those candidates standing for a general ward/constituency.
