More than half of Māori voters now on Māori electoral roll

More than half of enrolled Māori voters are now registered on the Māori roll, with younger generations continuing to drive a long-term shift towards Māori representation.

Electoral Commission figures show 507,647 Māori voters are enrolled on the Māori roll, compared with 455,295 on the general roll.

Enrolled voters of Māori descent have until midnight 6 August to decide whether they want to remain on their current roll or switch ahead of the next general election.

Chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne said while movement between the rolls has been relatively balanced this year, the longer-term trend pointed to younger Māori increasingly choosing to vote in Māori electorates.

"What we've seen since 2023 is that people enrolling for the first time are more likely to go onto the Māori roll, and that's been a really consistent pattern," he said.

Between 31 March and 30 June this year, 4731 voters moved from the general roll to the Māori roll, while 5113 shifted in the opposite direction - a decrease of 382 voters on the Māori roll. However, during the same period there were 3381 new enrolments on the Māori roll, compared to 2087 on the general roll.

Le Quesne said age had emerged as a clear influence in enrolment trends.

Electoral Commission data indicated Māori representation tended to be the preferred option across most age groups under 50, with nearly 58 percent of Māori aged 18 to 24 enrolled on the Māori roll. The trend shifts with Māori aged 65 and over, who tended to choose the general roll.

"There has been a healthy level of activity of people engaging with the information and making decisions to change either one way or the other"

Nearly 70,000 Māori voters have switched between the Māori and general rolls since 2023, and with the deadline for decisions looming, the Commission expected to see a spike in movement.

"Being enrolled and voting is your opportunity to choose who represents you in Parliament, and we want everyone, including Māori, to have their say," Le Quesne said.

The option to change electoral roles will be available again after the general election on Saturday, 7 November 2026.