Elections Frequently Asked Questions

 If you are on the general roll you can vote for the candidates in your general ward and the Mayor. 

If you are on the Māori roll, you can vote for the candidates in the Māori ward and the Mayor.  

No. All councillors, regardless of the area they are elected to represent, make the same declaration to act in the best interests of the whole of Napier. A resident can ask any councillor for help and is not limited to their local ward councillors. 

You can vote for the two councillors in Te Whanga Māori ward and the Mayor.   

Choosing between the Māori roll and the general roll is a personal choice and you need to decide which roll best represents yours views and interests. If you are on the Māori roll and wish to switch rolls to vote for candidates in a general ward, then you must do this by Friday 11 July. 

No. To be eligible to stand for election, a candidate must be: 

• A New Zealand citizen (by birth or citizenship ceremony); and 
• Enrolled as a Parliamentary elector (anywhere in New Zealand); and 
• Nominated by two electors whose names appear on the electoral roll within the ward a candidate is standing for. For Te Whanga Māori ward, this means, the nominators must live in Napier and be on the Māori roll?  
• Candidates in Māori wards do not need to be of Māori descent, but they do need to be on the Parliamentary electoral roll. 

Candidates cannot stand for both a General ward and a Māori ward at the same time. 

Read more information about Māori wards or the Māori ward poll here.

You can apply now and you will be automatically enrolled to vote when you turn 18. If you turn 18 on or prior to 11 October 2025, you will be able to vote in Napier’s local election. You will need to do a special vote if you turned 18 after 1 August. 

You can check your eligibility here.

People living overseas can take part but must ensure that they are correctly enrolled with an overseas postal address in order to receive their voting papers. Voting papers for local elections cannot be downloaded and online voting is not available.  

If you will be overseas during the voting period (9 September to 11 October 2025), and if you have an address that you can receive post to, the electoral officer can fastpost a special vote to your overseas address on 9 September 2025 (start of the voting period). 

You will need to ensure that it is returned to the electoral officer by noon, 11 October 2025. 

Please contact the electoral officer to arrange this. You will have to provide your current address (to determine what you are eligible to vote for) and an overseas address (where you will be around 9 September 2025). 

Electoral Officer – Warwick Lampp , Email: info@electionservices.co.nz 

Not everyone feels safe enough to have their details publicly available on the electoral roll, but that doesn’t mean they lose the right to vote. You can apply to the Electoral Commission to go on the unpublished roll. Find more information and how to apply here. 

You will need to cast a special vote.

For people that are in between houses, perhaps couch surfing, or homeless, you need to complete an enrolment form with an address, and a postal address for where you voter pack can be sent to. 

Yes, students can choose to enrol at the address where they consider to be their home. You need to have a postal address where you can receive your voting papers.

If you are already on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll, you will be sent an enrolment update pack by the Enrolment Services at the Electoral Commission in April. If all your details are correct you don’t need to do anything. Your voting papers will be sent to you in the post between 9-22 September.  

If you don’t receive an enrolment update pack by 22 September, you are either not enrolled or you have changed address and your pack has been sent to the wrong place. If this happens, come into Council to cast a special vote between 23 September and 10 October.