02 August 2025
Ruapōtaka Marae
106 Line Road
Glen Innes
Tēnā koe Georgie
Use of Ruapōtaka Marae as a Voting Place for the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election
The Tāmaki Makaurau by-election will be held on Saturday 6 September 2025.
I am writing to follow up on our previous contact with you and to confirm that the Electoral
Commission wishes to offer voting at a voting place based in Ruapōtaka Marae.
I am appointing staff to ensure that the premises are well looked after during use and that they are
left in a tidy condition. One of my staff will be in touch with you or your contact person to arrange the
logistics of operating a voting place at your premises. This will cover off arrangements for the
collection and return of keys, the delivery of electoral supplies to the premises and the setup of the
premises.
The voting place will be open to the public during the following dates and times:
Saturday 30th August 10am-4pm
Thursday 4th September – Friday 5th September 10am-4pm
Saturday 6th September 9am to 7pm
If you have not already completed and returned an invoice, please feel free to complete the one at
the
end of this letter and forward it to me. Your invoice should be paid by Friday 12 September
2025, by direct credit to the bank account nominated on the invoice.
All voting places used for the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election must meet requirements and follow our
policies around the use and management of voting places, including the requirements around
conflicts of interest and politically neutrality. Please read the
Voting Place Guide after the sample
invoice below. If you currently know, or become aware at any time, that your venue may not meet
any of the requirements listed, please let me know. This will not necessarily mean that we cannot
still use your venue.
If you have any questions relating to the use of these premises, please call on
.
Please
email me back to confirm that you have received and understand this information. Thank you
again for your cooperation and assistance.
Nāku noa, nā
Gee Tatana
Electorate Manager, Tāmaki Makaurau Electorate
Email: [email address]
Voting Place Guide
Introduction
This guide provides information to people that look after voting places the Electoral Commission intends to use
for the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election in 2025. It helps you understand our requirements and policies around the
use and management of voting places, including information about conflicts of interest and politically neutrality.
How does the Commission secure voting places?
The Commission does not have ongoing arrangements in place for voting places, and so it must secure them
anew ahead of every electoral event, which includes the following steps.
• The assessment of voting places for use in electoral events is undertaken by Electoral Commission staff.
• These staff use a comprehensive form to assess the suitability of a venue for use as a voting place.
• Once decisions on the location of voting places for the electorate have been made, these are provided to the
Chief Electoral Officer for review.
• They are then provided to the secretary of each registered political party for feedback.
• The Chief Electoral Officer approves the final list of voting places, which are then made public.
What is considered during a voting place assessment?
The voting place assessment covers a range of areas to ensure a venue is appropriate for use as a voting place,
this includes:
• health, safety, storage and security
• accessibility including parking and building entrances / exits
• civil defence protocols including for a natural disaster
• facilities, layout and amenities
• available operating hours
• political neutrality and potential for conflicts of interest
• whether the venue is known and well used in the community.
Political neutrality
The public, and those standing in the election, need to be sure that the way the Commission runs electoral events
is politically neutral and impartial, so they can trust the result of the election.
To preserve the political neutrality of a voting place, the following is prohibited by law inside voting places or
within 10 metres of the entrance of the building or area set aside for voting (‘the buffer zone’).
• campaigning, or any activity which obstructs or influences voters
• any election advertising,
This applies when advance voting places are open, or anywhere on Election Day.
Conflicts of interest
In relation to a potential voting place venue, a conflict of interest may arise where a person that is an employee of
the venue, or is actively involved in its governance or management, is:
• a participant in the electoral event, e.g. standing as a candidate*
• a close relative of a candidate, e.g. a spouse, civil union partner, de facto partner, child, or parent
• a person actively involved with a political party, e.g. in the campaign, as an office holder, or a donor.
* Please note a list of candidates will be available on vote.nz from 5 August 2025. How will potential conflicts of interest be managed?
The process to manage potential conflicts of interest includes:
• where a potential conflict of interest is identified, it is recorded in the assessment form
• if there is a desire to continue with the use of the venue as a voting place, we may seek further information or
a discussion with people associated with the venue
• Electoral Commission staff will undertake a further assessment of the potential conflict of interest, and ways
it can be addressed or mitigated
• the information with a recommendation will be presented to the Chief Electoral Officer for a final decision,
under delegation from the Electoral Commission Board
tThe Electoral Commission Board may also make the final decision itself.
Facilities required for a voting place
Voting places must be available to any member of the public during voting hours. It is preferable that the site is
fully accessible so that a voter in a wheelchair can independently use the venue.
Voting place staff will require access to toilets and preferably to other facilities such as a kitchen and/or break
room.
Voting place equipment such as cardboard voting screens, may be required to be securely stored at the venue
before Election Day and for a period afterwards.
Staff access
For advance voting places, staff will require access at the times agreed.
For Election Day voting places, staff will require access to the voting place:
• from the day before to set up the voting place
• until 11pm on the day to complete the preliminary count and pack up the voting place.
Earthquake assessments
It is not a requirement that buildings used as voting places have been assessed for earthquake risk. However, if a
building has been assessed, and its new building standard (NBS) rating is below 34%, it cannot be used as a
voting place.
Fundraising and manaakitanga
A venue being used as a voting place can host their own fundraising activities, such as a sausage sizzle or school
fair at the same time as voting if:
• voters can move in and out of the voting place in an unimpeded way
• there is no expectation that voters will make a purchase or participate in the activities.
Any hospitality / manaakitanga offered near the voting place must be available to any member of the public
without any expectation that it is only for those people who have voted.
Political campaign and fundraising meetings
Political campaign and fundraising meetings related to the by-election can be held in a venue that is being used
as a voting place up to the day before Election Day, so long as they are held in a separate part of the site and
meet the following requirements:
• people attending a campaign meeting can walk through the 10 metre ‘buffer zone’ but should not wear
campaign material or undertake electioneering activities within the zone, and
• signs directing attendees to a campaign meeting cannot be displayed within the buffer zone.
Note: The Commission should be notified ahead of time, of any campaign meetings in the same location as the
voting place.
Can alcohol be sold at the site during the hours of voting?
Licensed premises can be used as voting places provided:
• alcohol is not available for sale, supply or consumption in the area where voting papers are issued
• the voting place can be accessed without passing through any part of the licensed premise where alcohol is
consumed.
Can a venue promote the voting place?
The venue hosting a voting place can promote the availability of voting at its site e.g., on the site’s social media
pages or community newsletters. In doing so, it is important that the information provided:
• is politically neutral
• does not encourage voters to vote for any party or candidate
• does not include reference to a political issue
• includes a promoter statement, which is the name and address of the person who directed it to be published.
Does the Commission have insurance?
The Electoral Commission has public liability insurance. The Certificate of Currency can be provided on request.
Can people from the venue work at the voting place?
It is highly encouraged that people from the local community apply to work at the voting place, which includes
people who work at the venue at other times.
All voting place roles are paid, and training is provided. For more information, see
https://work.elections.nz/?unlistedjob=i8pSVNG&tracker=625833198
