Which Roll?
Māori roll or General roll?
- If you are of Māori descent you can enrol in either the General or Māori electoral rolls.
- If you are not of Māori descent you can only enrol on the General electoral roll.
At election time the roll you are on, determines which candidates you can vote for
- Electors on the Māori electoral roll vote for candidates standing for Māori Wards, the Mayor and the Community Board area within which they reside
- Electors on the General electoral roll vote for candidates from the General Wards, the Mayor and the Community Board area within which they reside
How to change electoral roll
Those who are already enrolled, either on the Māori electoral roll or the general electoral roll, may want to change electoral rolls before the local elections in October 2025.
The Māori Electoral Option is a chance for all enrolled voters of Māori descent to choose which electoral roll to be on — the general roll or the Māori roll.
If you’re Māori, you can 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.
Resident ratepayer electoral roll
You are automatically enrolled to vote in the 2025 local body elections if you're a resident of the District and are already on the parliamentary electoral roll for the general election.
If you're not sure if you're enrolled or your details have changed, check or update your details online, or call 0800 36 76 56.
Residential Elector or Ratepayer Elector?
Residential Electors receive votes based on where they live.
Ratepayer Electors receive votes based on where they own property.
Ratepayer electoral roll
If you pay rates on a property outside of the district where you live, you are entitled to vote in that district too by enrolling on the ratepayer electoral roll. This could include commercial property, baches, and rental properties.
Example: A person lives in Auckland and owns a property in Ruapehu.
- has full voting entitlements as resident elector in Auckland Council
- has full voting entitlements as ratepayer elector in Ruapehu District
A company or society that pays property rates can also qualify as a ratepayer elector.
Example: A company based in Auckland and owns a number of properties in each Community Board of Ruapehu District Council.
- company's nominee has full voting entitlements as resident elector in Auckland Council
- has full voting entitlements as ratepayer elector for one property in one Community Board area of Ruapehu District
- in addition can vote once for each other Community Board for other properties owned in Ruapehu District (irrespective of properties owned)
Any organisation, firm, company, trust, corporation or society or association that pays rates on one or more properties in a council district may nominate one of its members or officers to be the ratepayer elector.
The person nominated must consent to the nomination and not be enrolled or nominated as a ratepayer elector for any other property. The person nominating and the nominated person must be registered as Parliamentary electors at addresses outside the council district where the property is located.
This is an ‘opt-in’ process for non-resident ratepayers. More information is available here and you can download the enrolment form here
When completing Section B on the Form, please note the form must be signed by both the nominator and the nominee. The nominator and nominee can be the same person.
Alternatively, use the Electionz.com portal to check your ratepayer elector entitlement.
If more than one person pays rates on the same property
If partners, joint tenants and tenants in common collectively pay rates on a property in a council district, one of the group may be nominated to go on the Electoral Roll. The person nominating and the nominated person must be registered as Parliamentary electors at addresses outside the council district where the property is located.
Existing Ratepayer Electors should have received an enrolment confirmation form
New Electoral Rolls are compiled every three years for the local authority elections.
You should already have an enrolment confirmation form or other advice on your ratepayer elector status if:
- you were enrolled as a ratepayer elector for the 2019 local authority elections, or since then
- you enrolled or were nominated as a ratepayer elector.
