Election Guide for Care-Experienced Rangatahi

Your Guide to Voting in the Election

Elections come with a lot of jargon, and it’s hard to have your say when no one’s explained how it all works. This page is a resource created by National Care-Experienced Youth Advocate Alchimae Prasad and breaks it down for you in plain language.

You’ll find:

• key dates
• how to enrol, including if you move around a lot or don’t feel safe
• having your address on the roll
• the difference between the Māori roll and the general roll
• how MMP, coalitions and your two votes work
• how Bills and Select Committees work, and how care-experienced rangatahi have used them to create change
• where each party in Parliament stands on care and protection

Need a hand enrolling or have questions? Reach out to your local VOYCE team. We’re here to help.

Want to know more or need help enrolling? Head to vote.nz.

Rangatahi on the steps of Parliament delivering the 6 Promises Petition

Key Dates

• Sunday 25 October (midnight): last day to enrol or update your details
• Monday 26 October: advance voting opens
• Saturday 7 November: Election Day, with voting places open 9am–7pm

Young people have been able to rely on election-day enrollment at recent general elections, so this is an important change.

• New this year: you can’t enrol on Election Day or at a voting place anymore. Make sure you’re enrolled by 25 October.

• Turning 18 by 7 November? You can vote! Enrol now so you’re ready.

Enrolling to Vote

How do I enrol to vote?
You can enrol, check your enrolment or update your details through the Vote NZ website. For the 2026 General Election, you cannot enrol or update your details after midnight on 25 October 2026.

What if I move around a lot?
This can be particularly important for care-experienced young people.

You might:

• move between placements
• move in with whānau
• be staying with friends
• be couch-surfing
• move into supported or independent living
• not have one permanent address.

You can still enrol to vote. 

You can still enrol! Your address decides which electorate you vote in. It doesn’t update automatically when you move, so check your details. If you’re couch-surfing or don’t have a fixed address, you can usually enrol using:

• the place you spend most of your time, or
• the last address you lived at for at least a month.

You can also give a separate postal address where your mail is safe, like a trusted whānau member, a friend or a support organisation. Not sure which address to use? Call 0800 36 76 56.

What if I don't feel safe having my address on the electoral roll?

Don’t feel safe having your address on the roll?
If having your details public could put you or your whānau at risk, for example because of family violence or past placements, you can apply for the unpublished roll. Your name and address are kept confidential, and you can still vote on either the Māori or general roll. You’ll just need to cast a special vote.

Still need some support? Kei te pai 😄
Call the Electoral Commission free on 0800 36 76 56 with any questions about enrolling, which address to use, the Māori roll, the unpublished roll, or voting in general. VOYCE Kaiwhakamana can also help you enrol. Reach out to your local team!

Why should I be on the Māori roll?

If you’re of Māori descent, you can choose to be on the Māori roll or the general roll. Your choice only changes your electorate vote, meaning which local candidates you vote for. Your party vote stays the same, and everyone chooses from the same list of parties. Together, Māori roll choices also help decide how many Māori electorates there are in future elections, so your choice shapes Māori representation in Parliament and who represents your rohe.

If you’re already enrolled, the deadline to switch rolls for this election was 6 August. But if you’ve never enrolled, you can still enrol now and choose either roll. Just make sure you do it by midnight on Sunday 25 October.

Politics 101 - How Does Voting Actually Work?How does voting work?

You get two votes:

1. Electorate vote: for the person you want to represent your local area. The candidate with the most votes becomes the electorate MP.
2. Party votes: for the party you want in Parliament. Under MMP, this decides how many seats each party gets, so it’s the big one.

Why do we have coalitions?
There are usually 120 seats in Parliament, so a party needs 61 to govern alone. That rarely happens under MMP (the only time was Labour in 2020), so parties usually team up to form a Government. The current Government is a coalition of National, ACT and NZ First.

What’s the 5% rule?
A party usually needs at least 5% of the party vote to get into Parliament, unless it wins an electorate seat.

Should I vote for my values or for who’s likely to win?
Both are valid! It can help to look at what each party says about care, housing, education, health and support for rangatahi.

Who are Ministers?
Ministers are MPs put in charge of areas like Children, Education, Housing and Health. The Prime Minister chooses them, and they have big influence over policy. For example, Karen Chhour (ACT) is the Minister for Children, responsible for Oranga Tamariki.

How do Bills work?
A Bill is a proposed new law or change to a law. Most go to a Select Committee, where anyone can make a submission in writing or in person. Committees can recommend changes, or that a Bill doesn’t go ahead. Care-experienced rangatahi have done this before. Their voices helped stop the Youth Demerits Bill in 2021 and shaped the 2017 Oranga Tamariki law changes.

Parties in Parliament Right Now

Current coalition

National (49 MPs)Focus: growing the economy, lowering taxes, reducing crime, personal responsibility.
On care: commits to preventing child abuse and strengthening child protection. Says it needs more evidence before committing to making children in care a priority population or ensuring all children and carers get adequate support.

ACT (11 MPs)Focus: individual freedom, lower taxes, smaller government.
On care: commits to preventing child abuse, strengthening child protection and ensuring adequate support. No clear yes or no on all Royal Commission recommendations or on Māori and community-led care.

NZ First (8 MPs)Focus: New Zealand’s interests first, border security, employment, older New Zealanders, vocational training.
On care: commits to all Royal Commission recommendations, adequate support, and making children in care a priority population. No clear yes or no on Māori and community-led care.

Official Opposition

Labour (34 MPs)Focus: public services, well-paid jobs, affordable healthcare and housing.
On care: commits to preventing child abuse and strengthening child protection, and supports Māori and community-led care. No clear yes or no on all Royal Commission recommendations.

Other parties in Parliament

Green Party (14 MPs)Focus: the environment, reducing poverty, public services, Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
On care: commits to all Royal Commission recommendations, Māori-led care, adequate support, and making children in care a priority population.

Te Pāti Māori (4 MPs)Focus: Māori self-determination, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, reducing inequality, Māori-led services.
On care: commits to all six Tick 4 Kids proposals, including the Royal Commission recommendations, Māori and community-led care, and making children in care a priority population.

Polling over 5% in 2026

OpportunityFocus: changing how politics works, tax reform, innovation, the environment. Willing to work with Labour or National.
On care: commits to all Royal Commission recommendations and Māori and community-led care. No clear yes or no on making children in care a priority population or ensuring adequate support.

Want to know more or need help enrolling? Head to vote.nz.