The local elections are when we decide who represents us on our councils. The elections will be held by a postal vote and election day is Saturday 11 October.
The elections are for city, district and regional councils. The people elected to local councils get to make decisions about our daily lives and the future of our towns and cities. They set and collect rates, oversee town planning, and provide services like rubbish collection, parks and libraries.
In some parts of New Zealand, elections will also be held for local and community boards, licensing trusts and some other organisations.
Some local councils that have Māori wards or constituencies will be holding polls at the 2025 local elections to ask voters whether or not they support keeping them.
You need to be enrolled to be able to vote and have your say in the local elections.
You can enrol to vote if you’re 18 years of age or older, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and have lived in New Zealand for more than one year continuously at some time in your life.
Māori roll or general roll?
If you are of Māori descent, you can choose to be on the Māori roll or the general roll for this year’s local elections.
The roll you choose may affect who you can vote for at local elections.
Some councils have Māori and general wards. If you’re on the Māori roll and your council has Māori wards, you’ll vote in a Māori ward.
You can change the roll you’re on for the local elections up until midnight, Thursday 10 July. You can’t change rolls in the three months before the local elections.
You can find more information about your roll choice at https://vote.nz. Information is available in te reo Māori and alternate formats.
Concerned about your personal safety?
If you’re concerned about your personal safety, or that of your family, you can apply to go on the confidential unpublished roll. We’ll keep your enrolment details secure and we won’t give them to anyone. Go to https://vote.nz or call 0800 36 76 56 (operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) for more information and an application form.
Need help to enrol?
You can ask someone you know, such as a friend or family member, to help you complete your enrolment form, or to complete your form for you. You need to sign the form.
If you know someone who can’t complete and sign their enrolment form because of a physical or mental impairment, you may be able to help.
Enrolment pack
To make sure you get your voting papers sent to the right address, everyone who is currently enrolled will be sent an enrolment update pack in the mail in the first two weeks of April 2025.
Please open the pack and check your details are correct – including your email address and mobile number. If they are correct, you don’t need to do anything. If anything needs updating, make the changes and send them back to us or update your details at https://vote.nz.
If you don’t get an enrolment pack in the first two weeks of April it means you are not enrolled to vote or your details are not up to date. It’s quick and easy to enrol, check or update your details. Go online to https://vote.nz and enrol or update your details using your New Zealand driver licence, New Zealand passport or a RealMe verified identity. You can also call 0800 36 76 56 (operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) to get an enrolment form sent to you in the mail.
Voting in local elections
Local elections are run by local councils.
If you are enrolled by 1 August, your local council will send you voting papers in the mail when it’s time to vote. Voting papers will arrive between 9 and 22 September.
If you enrol after I August, you won’t get your voting papers in the mail and you will have to ask for special voting papers from your local council electoral officer.
More information
For more information on enrolling to vote visit vote.nz. Information is available in a range of languages and alternate formats.
For more information on voting in the local elections visit https://votelocal.co.nz
