Before you enrol — remember who fought for this.

1893

Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia stood before the Māori Parliament and demanded that wāhine Māori have the right to vote. She was the first woman ever to address that assembly.

1893

When wāhine finally won the vote, wāhine Māori voted in their thousands at the very first election — immediately, urgently, because they understood exactly what it had cost to get there.
Iriaka Rātana became the first wāhine Māori MP — 56 years after wāhine first voted. She faced fierce opposition. She won by nearly 6,000 votes and held her seat for 20 years.

1949

Today wāhine Māori hold more seats in parliament than ever before. The fight is not over. But we are here because they were there first. Now it is our turn.

2026

“Perhaps, Sir, it is precedent to confess my trepidation in this my first address in Parliament... more so, Sir, in my being fully aware of the unseen audience which is all over the country listening with curiosity, praise, criticism, or otherwise, to me, a Māori woman upon whom the choice of the electors in the Western Māori District has fallen to represent them in Parliament.”
— Iriaka Rātana, first address to Parliament, 1949

They fought for over half a century just to be allowed in the room. They argued, petitioned, stood up in parliaments that were built to exclude them, and they refused to shrink. Don't take what they won for granted. Enrol. Vote. Show up — because they couldn't, and then they could, and they did.

Tō Pōti - Your Vote

Before anything else — check that you're enrolled and that your details are up to date. If you've moved house, changed your name, or never enrolled before, now is the time. You can check and enrol online at vote.nz in just a few minutes.

For the 2026 general election, the last day to enrol is 25 October 2026 — but don't wait. Enrol now while you're thinking about it.

How to enrol

  • Go to vote.nz and enrol or update your details in minutes. You'll need your NZ driver licence or passport.

  • Text your name and address to 3676 and they'll send you a form in the mail to complete and return.

  • Call 0800 36 76 56 (free, 24 hours) and they'll send you an enrolment form to fill in and return.

  • Download a form from vote.nz, fill it in, and email it to enrol@vote.nz with a copy of your ID.

Māori roll or general roll?

Other ways to vote

  • Opens 26 October 2026. You don't have to vote on election day — advanced voting is available at many locations.

  • If you enrol late or vote outside your electorate, you can still cast a special vote. Every vote counts.

  • Overseas voting opens 21 October 2026. You must be enrolled with an overseas address to receive your papers.