Iwi leaders encourage Māori to register to vote and switch to the Māori roll

Māori voters who want to switch electoral rolls before the election will can do so from today until July 13. Photo / Whakaata Māori

Iwi leaders have joined the call for Māori to register to vote and those who have registered to jump to the Māori electoral roll.

Iwi Chairs member Te Huia Bill Hamilton says the option is a chance to clear up persistent confusion around the rolls and help people understand the choice of roll. It is about who you want to choose as your electorate representative, while the party vote determines who forms the next Government, Hamilton said.

People with Māori whakapapa have until July 13 to switch between the general and Māori rolls. Maori also have until that date to register to vote if they are not on the electoral roll.

Te Huia Bill Hamilton. Photo / Supplied

“It doesn’t really matter which roll we’re on but it does matter that we vote because most elections are won by a one or a two per cent margin, and when you think Maori make up 14 to 15 to 16 per cent of the population, we’ve got that influence if we whakakotahi, if we work together,” he says.

The latest figures show between 31 March and 1 June, 26,138 voters of Māori descent changed rolls, enrolled for the first time, or updated their details.

10,319 people changed roll types – 5,518 from the general roll to the Māori roll, and 4,801 from the Māori roll to the general roll.

There have been 811 new enrolments on the Māori roll and 449 new enrolments on the general roll.

Another 14,579 people haven’t changed rolls but have taken the opportunity to update their details on the electoral roll, for example, their address.

Māori can enrol to vote right up to and on election day. If you’re Māori, you make your choice between the Māori roll and the general roll when you enrol to vote.

Māori who are already enrolled, have until July 13 to switch between the general and Māori rolls if they want to.