Enrol
If you care about who makes decisions for your community and want to vote on the future of the Westland District, then you need to be enrolled.
The next Local Government elections are in October 2022.
Enrolling to vote means you can have a say on the people who will make decisions on what happens in your region over the next three years. Anyone aged 18 and over can enrol to vote and will be added to the Electoral Roll. If you are 17 you can make your application and you will be enrolled when you turn 18.
The Parliamentary Electoral Roll lists all the people in New Zealand who can vote in the parliamentary elections. If you are on this roll you are automatically enrolled on the relevant council’s Residential Electoral Roll, which means that you can also vote at your local regional council and city or district council elections.
View information for the 2022 elections in an accessible format.
Enrolment packs and enrolment forms
If you are already on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll, you will be sent an enrolment update pack by the Enrolment Services at the Electoral Commission. If all your details are correct you don’t need to do anything. Your voting papers will be sent to you in the post.
If you do not receive an enrolment update pack you are either not enrolled or your address details need updating. If this happens, you will need to complete an enrolment form. You can get enrolment forms from:
- Visit the Electoral Commission website
- Your local city or district council offices
- The Westland District Library
- Visit any Post Shop
- Your local Registrar of Electors in Greymouth
- Free phone 0800 36 76 56
- Free text your name and address to 3676
If you believe that having your details recorded on the publicly available Parliamentary Electoral Roll could threaten your personal safety, or that of your family, you may request that your particulars do not appear on the General Roll. You will need to make a separate application to be included on the Unpublished (confidential) Roll. Application papers are available online and from from your local Registrar of Electors.
Find out more about registering for the Unpublished Roll on the Electoral Commission website.
If you are on the Unpublished Roll, you must vote by casting a special vote. If you have enrolled by the cut-off date, you will receive a letter from Enrolment Services outlining the steps you need to take to apply for a special vote.
Resident electoral roll
All parliamentary electors are automatically enrolled on the local authority residential electoral role for the address where they live. If you wish to enrol or update your details, you can:
- Visit the Electoral Commission website
- Free phone 0800 36 76 56
- Free text your name and address to 3676
- Visit any Post Shop
If you own a property in the Westand District, but live outside of Westland you can be a ratepayer elector and apply to be on the district's Ratepayer Roll. You must also be a qualified parliamentary elector at the property in which you live.
If you are already enrolled on the Ratepayer Roll, your local council will send you confirmation of your enrolment in March or April in election year. You will need to complete the enclosed form and return it by the cut off date.
If you are not on the Ratepayer Roll, but qualify as a ratepayer elector and are interested in voting in the area in which you own property, you will need to apply to go on the Ratepayer Roll. You can do this by downloading this Ratepayer Elector form, online at electionz.com or contacting the Electoral Officer at the city or district council in the area you own property.
Special Vote - If you are not enrolled in time
If you have not enrolled on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll, Unpublished Roll and/or Ratepayer Roll by 5pm on the cut-off date and would like to vote in the elections, you can cast a special vote. To cast a special vote you will need to:
- Submit your completed enrolment form to the appropriate Registrar of Electors (for the Parliamentary and Unpublished Electoral Rolls) or the relevant Electoral Officer (for the Ratepayer Roll) by the day prior to the election day and
- Apply to the Electoral Officer at the city or district council in the area in which you live (or the area in which you pay rates if you are applying as a ratepayer elector) for a special vote and ensure that your completed vote is in the hands of the city or district council for which you are voting by 12 noon on voting day.
