Te hunga ka āhei ki te pōti me ngā ara rēhita Who can vote and how to enrol

Learn about voting in the Auckland Council elections. Find out what you need to do to enrol so you can vote to have your say.

Contact the Electoral Commission

Contact the Electoral Commission if you:

• have any queries about enrolling
• need to update your details
• want to check your electorate/ ward / local board area
• have changed home address.

Visit the Electoral Commission website or phone 0800 36 76 56.

Who can vote 

To be eligible to vote you must:

• be 18 years old or older
• have lived in New Zealand for more than 12 months continuously at some time in your life 
• be one of the following, either:
  • a New Zealand citizen who has been in the country within the past three years, or
  • a New Zealand permanent resident who has been in the country within the past twelve months.

How to enrol to vote 

To enrol you must verify your identity and will need one of the following documents:

• New Zealand driver licence
• New Zealand passport
• your RealMe verified identity.

If you are not able to enrol online, there are other ways to enrol or to update your details. Go to Other ways to enrol for more information.

Watch a video on how to enrol to vote

Read the full transcript of this video or watch this video in New Zealand Sign Language.

Resident ratepayer electoral roll

You are automatically enrolled to vote in local elections if you are an Auckland resident and are already on the parliamentary electoral roll for the general election.

If you have changed address 

When you move house be sure to inform the Electoral Commission.

When voting papers are returned as undelivered to the Electoral Commission, they have no option but to remove you from the electoral roll if you have not updated your address.

You can check and update your details online or by calling 0800 36 76 56.

Non-resident ratepayer electoral roll or ratepayer elector 

You may be eligible to enrol on the non-resident ratepayer electoral roll and vote in the Tāmaki Makaurau local elections, if you:

• pay rates on an Auckland property, but live elsewhere
• pay rates on two or more properties in different areas of Auckland.

A company or society that pays property rates can also qualify as a ratepayer elector.

Check if you are eligible to enrol on the ratepayer electoral roll.

You can also call the Electoral Office on 0800 922 822 if you have any questions.