Enrol to Vote

The last date to enrol is Friday 10 October.

The last day to enrol to cast an ordinary vote is 1 August 2025. You can enrol after this date (up until 10 October 2025) but you’ll need to cast a special vote.

Enrol to vote if you are Māori

If you're of Māori descent and enrolling for the first time, you can decide whether to go on the general roll or the Māori roll. More information on the Māori Ward here.

Your choice will affect which electorate you vote in at the general and local elections. For more information, visit Vote.nz.

Enrol to vote

To vote in a local body election, you need to be enrolled on either the residential or ratepayer roll.

You can enrol, check, or update your details online, including changing your roll type, at Vote.nz. To do so, you will need one of the following:

Your New Zealand driver license,
New Zealand passport
or RealMe verified identity

Otherwise, call for free at 0800 36 76 56 and ask for a form to be sent to you.

You are eligible to enrol on the residential roll if you:

Are 18 years of age or older, and
Are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and
Have lived in New Zealand continuously, at any time, for one year or more, and
Have lived at your current address for more than one month.

Residential roll

All parliamentary electors are automatically enrolled on the local body residential roll at the address where they live.

Any changes to the residential roll (e.g. change of address details) should be made by:

Accessing the Enrolment Services, Electoral Commission website on vote.nz/ or
Telephoning 0800 ENROLNOW (0800 367 656) or
Freetext your name and address to 3676 to get a form sent to you in the mail.

Visit the Electoral Commission website for other ways to enrol or update your details.

Non-resident ratepayer roll

If you own a property in Nelson but live elsewhere, and would like to vote in the Nelson elections, please complete the application form below.

You can check your eligibility and enrol as a non-residential ratepayer on the Electoral Commission website.

For all ratepayer enrolment enquiries, please email nrr@electionz.com.

See the Ratepayer Roll Public Notice here.

Ratepayer Application Form