Enrol for local elections

Enrolling to vote in Elections

If you want to vote or take part in elections you need to to be enrolled to vote. Make sure you're enrolled and ready to vote – so you can have your say on the issues that affect you and your family. 

Who can enrol to Vote?

You are eligible to enrol and vote if:

• you are 18 years or older AND
• you are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident AND
• you have lived in New Zealand for one year or more continuously at some point.

For the purposes of registering as an elector, a permanent resident is someone who is entitled to live indefinitely in New Zealand.

• If you hold a resident visa or a permanent resident visa and have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more you are eligible to enrol and vote.
• If you are a Cook Island Maori, Australian, Niuean or Tokelauan you can enrol once you have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months – you do not have to hold a resident visa to enrol and vote.
• If you have to leave New Zealand by a set date you are not a permanent resident for electoral purposes and you are NOT eligible to enrol and vote. This includes people who have student, work or visitor permits.

General roll or Māori roll?

Māori rohe pōti
Māori wards or constituencies

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council has voted to retain Māori constituencies. A decision that will result in a binding poll at the next local government elections in 2025. Find out more.

Only those electors on the Māori electoral roll will be able to vote for candidates standing for the Māui ki te Raki or Māui ki te Tonga Māori constituencies. Similarly, only those on the general electoral roll can vote for candidates standing for a general constituency.

Choosing your electoral roll

If you are of Māori descent and enrolling for the first time, you have an important choice to make. You need to decide which electoral roll you want to be on: the general roll or the Māori roll.

After you have enrolled, you can only change rolls during the Māori Electoral Option, which takes place every 5 or 6 years (after the Census).

Enrolling or updating your details is easy. Do it online here.

If you enrol after Friday 1 August

If you enrol or update your address after 1 August 2025, you won’t get your voting papers sent to you in the mail. You’ll need to contact your council’s electoral officer.

The last day to enrol to vote in the local elections is Friday 10 October 2025. You can also change your roll type at any time, except:

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

Complete, sign and return the form as per the instructions on the form.

If you are enrolled at your current address, you should receive an enrolment information pack from the Electoral Commission in late June/early July by mail. If you are registered on the Unpublished roll, you will need to apply to the Electoral Officer to get your voting papers. If you are overseas, you can still take part in the elections. Just make sure you’re correctly enrolled with an overseas postal address to get your voting papers. You cannot download voting papers for a local election. If you do not receive a voting paper in the mail or spoil your voting paper, contact the Electoral Officer and ask about casting a special vote.