1 September 2025
James
By email to: [FYI request #32062 email]
Kia ora James
OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT REQUEST 2025/63
On Thursday, 21 August 2025 you made a request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA)
for the fol owing information:
How many times in last 6 years has the Electoral Commission audited the Māori rol in an
effort to identify any people that are non-Māori?
Please provide dates the rol was audited for this purpose.
Please provide the number of times in the last 6 years that non-Māori have been identified
on the Māori rol .
Please provide any communications or internal documents relating to concerns around non-
Māori joining the Māori rol .
Has non-Māori joining the Māori rol been formal y identified as potential risk to the integrity
of the Māori rol ? If yes, please provide any and al documentation and communications
concerning this, the date this recognized and what systems, checks and balances were put in
place to negate this risk.
Responses to each of your questions are outlined below:
1. How many times in last 6 years has the Electoral Commission audited the Māori rol in an
effort to identify any people that are non-Māori?
The Electoral Act 1993 (the Act) contains detailed provisions for conducting enrolment update
campaigns and objections procedures for maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the electoral rol .
There is no power under the legislation to audit the Māori rol to identify any people that are non-
Māori.
Only New Zealand Māori and descendants of New Zealand Māori can choose to be on a Māori rol .
Everyone else, including Cook Island Māori and other Pacific Island people must be on the General
rol .
Electoral Commission
Level 4, 34-42 Manners Street, PO Box 3220, Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
Telephone +64 4 495 0030
www.vote.nz | www.elections.nz
When electors enrol or update their details with us, they are legal y declaring that al the
information they have provided is true and correct.
Section 118 of the Electoral Act 1993 stipulates that "every person who knowingly and wilful y
makes a false statement in any application, certificate, or information supplied for the purposes of
this Part is liable on conviction to -
(a) a term of imprisonment not exceeding 3 months; or
(b) a fine not exceeding $2,000."
Under Section 95 of the Electoral Act, any elector may object to the name of a person being on the
rol for a district on the ground that that person is not qualified to be registered as an elector of that
district. To do so the person making the objection must provide their name, the ground for the
objection, and the reason or reasons supporting the ground for objection. Where sufficient
particulars are provided by an objector the Commission must personal y serve notice of this
information on the person objected to enable the Commission to determine if their name should be
retained or removed from the rol .
2. Please provide dates the rol was audited for this purpose.
Not applicable. See response to question 1 above.
3. Please provide the number of times in the last 6 years that non-Māori have been identified
on the Māori rol .
In the last 6 years, the Commission has received 6 objections from electors under section 95 of the
Act. None of these related to whether or not a person was of Māori descent.
4. Please provide any communications or internal documents relating to concerns around non-
Māori joining the Māori rol .
Not applicable. See responses to questions 1 and 2 above.
5. Has non-Māori joining the Māori rol been formal y identified as potential risk to the integrity
of the Māori rol ? If yes, please provide any and al documentation and communications
concerning this, the date this recognized and what systems, checks and balances were put in
place to negate this risk.
No. As this information does not exist, we refuse this aspect of your request pursuant to section 18
(e) of the OIA.
In the interests of transparency, we release responses to Official Information Act requests every 3
months. We wil publish this response with your personal details redacted.
Electoral Commission
Level 4, 34-42 Manners Street, PO Box 3220, Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
Telephone +64 4 495 0030
www.vote.nz | www.elections.nz
You have the right under section 28(3) of the Act to make a complaint to the Ombudsman if you are
not satisfied with the response to your request. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Anusha Guler
Deputy Chief Executive, Operations
Electoral Commission
Level 4, 34-42 Manners Street, PO Box 3220, Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
Telephone +64 4 495 0030
www.vote.nz | www.elections.nz
