Enrolment deadline passes for 2026 general election

The deadline for New Zealanders to enrol to vote for the upcoming general election passed at midnight on Sunday, 25 October. Voting is scheduled to begin on Monday, 26 October, and will conclude at 7pm on election day, Saturday, 7 November.

As of 23 October, 307,991 eligible voters remained unenrolled, with 43% of that group being young people aged 18 to 24. The enrolment rate for the 18-24 age bracket was 69.9%, which is lower than the 77.2% recorded during the 2023 election.

New rules amended the Electoral Act 1993, requiring enrolment to close 13 days before election day. Labour leader Chris Hipkins described the change as “the most draconian restriction to people’s right to enrol to vote that we have ever seen”.

National leader Christopher Luxon stated the new requirement was “not rocket science” and would help reduce the workload for counting special votes. Under the Electoral Act 1993, it is a legal requirement for eligible citizens to enrol, with potential fines of up to $100 or $200 for those who wilfully fail to do so.

How it developed

• Mon 26 Oct, 5:30amThe enrolment campaign has officially ended following the Sunday deadline.

Where reports differ

• One report cites the enrolment rate for eligible voters as 92.2% on 23 October, while another cites 92.4% as of Friday

Compiled from reports by Waikato Times, NZ Herald, RNZ and Otago Daily Times.