The Independent Electoral Review has been established by the Minister of Justice to review our electoral law. The aim of the Review is to make election rules clearer and fairer for current and future voters.
We want to hear from you about how to better support people to exercise their democratic right to vote and ensure voters have confidence in election outcomes, whatever their political preferences.
Although New Zealand has a history of free and fair elections, the key piece of legislation, the Electoral Act 1993, has become outdated. This Review is an opportunity to take a thorough look at our elections as times and technology change.
The Review covers a range of issues that will be of interest to all New Zealanders, including:
- voting age
- overseas voting
- the length of the parliamentary term
- the funding of political parties
- the party vote and one electorate seat threshold
- election advertising
Broader constitutional matters are out of scope of the Review. This includes alternatives to the MMP voting system, re-establishing an Upper House, the role and functions of the Head of State, the current size of Parliament, and the future of the Māori electorate seats. Online voting is also out of scope.
The Panel Members
We want to hear from you
Your voice is important. The Review Panel wants to hear from New Zealanders before making its final recommendations to the Government at the end of 2023. The Review will have two stages of engagement with the public, Māori and iwi, advocacy groups, and political parties.
- The first stage will be from September this year and will give you the opportunity to have your say on the different topics.
- The second stage will be from April 2023, after the Panel has produced its draft recommendations. This will give you the opportunity to see how your input has been used and provide further feedback, to inform the Panel's final report.
More detail on how you can engage will be available soon on this website.
