Electoral Act 1993

Electoral Act 1993
New Zealand Parliament
  • An Act to reform the electoral system and to provide, in particular, if the proposal for the introduction of the mixed member proportional system is carried at the referendum held under the Electoral Referendum Act 1993,—

    (a) for the introduction of the mixed member proportional system of representation in relation to the House of Representatives; (b) for the establishment of an Electoral Commission;

    (c) for the repeal of the Electoral Act 1956
Related legislation
Broadcasting Act 1989
Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act 2018
Status: Current legislation

The Electoral Act 1993 is an Act of the New Zealand Parliament for regulating elections in New Zealand.[1]

Legislative framework

It "establishes the electoral agencies, electoral system, election processes (including that for disputing results), how MPs are replaced between elections, registration processes for political parties and logos, enrolment and electoral roll requirements, and provides for the Māori Electoral option, and the Representation Commission."[2] One such agency is the Electoral Commission which is responsible, among other things, for the administration of parliamentary elections and referendums.

The Electoral Act forms part of the constitution of New Zealand.[3] The regulations made under the Act contain most of New Zealand's electoral legislation.[4] The Act defined mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation for use in the 1993 electoral referendum, and it established MMP as the electoral system for the 1996 general election.

Amendments

On 16 December 2025, the Sixth National Government passed Electoral Amendment Act 2025 amending the Electoral Act 1993 to end voter enrolment 13 days before the election, ban sentenced prisoners from voting, allow larger anonymous political donations, and ban food distribution near polling booths.[5][6][7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Electoral Act 1993.
  2. ↑ "Electoral Laws and Legislation". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  3. ↑ Cabinet Manual 2017. Cabinet Office, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2017. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-947520-02-1. The other major sources of the constitution include: [...] Other relevant New Zealand statutes, such as the State Sector Act 1988, the Electoral Act 1993,
  4. ↑ The New Zealand politics source book. Levine, Stephen I., Clark, Margaret, 1941– (3rd ed.). Palmerston North, N.Z.: Dunmore Press. 1999. ISBN 0864693389. OCLC 42462480.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ↑ "Electoral Amendment Bill". New Zealand Parliament. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 2 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Palmer, Russell (17 December 2025). "Electoral Amendment Bill passes its third reading in Parliament". RNZ. Archived from the original on 17 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  7. ↑ "Electoral law changes". Ministry of Justice. Archived from the original on 13 May 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
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