Electoral drive to target unregistered Aucklanders

An electoral drive to sign up almost 100,000 Aucklanders who are not ready to take part in the upcoming Super City elections starts today.

The Electoral Enrolment Centre is launching its national campaign to target eligible voters for the local government and health board elections with a mass mailout of enrolment update packs.

But national manager Murray Wicks said a good proportion of those not enrolled to vote - nearly 40 per cent - live in the Auckland Council region.

Half of those are young people, aged between 18 and 24.

"We know 96,916 people in the Auckland Council area won't get an enrolment update pack because they aren't enrolled. There will be thousands more who will miss out because they have moved house and not told us their new address."

Mr Wicks said that with the greatest changes in local government looming since the last big amalgamations in 1989, Aucklanders needed to have their voices heard.

"These elections are extremely important in that there's a new council being developed and people need to be involved and show they care."

Voters should receive their packs in the mail by Wednesday and if their details needed to be changed, they should fill in the form and return it.

The roll closes on August 20. Ballot papers will be sent out in September.

Ticking the box:

* 92.5 per cent of eligible Kiwis enrolled.

* 241,190 are not enrolled, including 96,916 Aucklanders.

* An estimated one in every five New Zealanders moves house each year.

* About 40,000 people each year turn 18, becoming eligible to vote.