MEDIA RELEASE

Electoral Enrolment Centre

Tuesday 31 May 2005

Tens of thousands of New Zealanders 'missing' from electoral rolls

Tens of thousands of New Zealanders have had their details removed from the electoral rolls for this year's General Election ? and their vote won't count unless they re-enrol.

45,542 people who have previously been enrolled have had their names removed from the electoral rolls in the wake of the Electoral Enrolment Centre's Enrolment Update Campaign.

"This is the equivalent of almost one whole electorate of voters wiped off the electoral rolls," says Murray Wicks, National Manager of the Electoral Enrolment Centre.

21% of these voters, or 9,624 are of Maori descent. 6,059 voters have been removed from the Maori electoral rolls.

"None of these people would have their vote counted if an election was held tomorrow," says Mr Wicks.

By law, people must be removed from the electoral roll if they've changed address and not updated their enrolment details.

"Removing these 45,500 people off the electoral roll is about the same as telling every eligible voter living in a place like Whangarei, or New Plymouth, or Invercargill that their vote won't count in this year's election."

The most number of voters removed from the electoral rolls was in the Wellington Central electorate.

Top five electorates for voters removed from electoral roll

Electorate name Number of voters removed

1. Wellington Central 1,317

2. Dunedin North 1,242

3. Auckland Central 1,214

4. Mt Albert 1,073

5. Te Tai Tonga 1,025

"It's easy to enrol, and I urge people to do it now ? particularly if they didn't get a personalised enrolment update pack early in May or they've moved house or changed their name recently," says Mr Wicks.

Enrolment forms are available by calling 0800 ENROL NOW (0800 36 76 56), freetexting your name and address to 3676, visiting any PostShop or going online to www.elections.org.nz. You can also check and update your details online at the website.

Mr Wicks reminds people who have received their enrolment update pack to open it, check their details are right and if they're not to let the Electoral Enrolment Centre know by updating the details and returning the form. If you've received a pack for someone no longer living at the address it should be returned so that person's details can be removed from the roll.

The Enrolment Update Campaign ends on June 17 so provisional electoral rolls can be printed and made available for people to check their details. The final electoral rolls will close and be printed once the election date is announced.

Ends

Breakdown of voters removed from the rolls attached. For further information please contact Murray Wicks, National Manager, Electoral Enrolment Centre on 027 249 4508 or 04 801 0701 or Anna Hughes Communications Advisor 027 28 28 827.

Electoral Enrolment Centre 2005 Enrolment Update Campaign

Electorate Name # Removed from Roll

1 Aoraki 347

2 Auckland Central 1,214

3 Banks Peninsula 403

4 Bay of Plenty 569

5 Christchurch Central 973

6 Christchurch East 540

7 Clevedon 743

8 Clutha-Southland 262

9 Coromandel 480

10 Dunedin North 1,242

11 Dunedin South 538

12 East Coast 526

13 East Coast Bays 832

14 Epsom 943

15 Hamilton East 840

16 Hamilton West 762

17 Helensville 502

18 Hutt South 714

19 Ilam 679

20 Invercargill 466

21 Kaikoura 437

22 Mana 470

23 Mangere 723

24 Manukau East 1,018

25 Manurewa 807

26 Maungakiekie 814

27 Mt Albert 1,073

28 Mt Roskill 967

29 Napier 522

30 Nelson 821

31 New Lynn 548

32 New Plymouth 630

33 North Shore 706

34 Northcote 804

35 Northland 398

36 Ohariu-Belmont 398

37 Otago 575

38 Otaki 516

39 Pakuranga 618

40 Palmerston North 774

41 Piako 476

42 Port Waikato 409

43 Rakaia 304

44 Rangitikei 478

45 Rimutaka 537

46 Rodney 527

47 Rongotai 661

48 Rotorua 645

49 Tamaki 634

50 Taranaki-King Country 370

51 Taupo 490

52 Tauranga 810

53 Te Atatu 560

54 Tukituki 492

55 Waimakariri 479

56 Wairarapa 324

57 Waitakere 512

58 Wellington Central 1,317

59 West Coast-Tasman 352

60 Whanganui 578

61 Whangarei 554

62 Wigram 780

63 Ikaroa-Rawhiti 782

64 Tainui 867

65 Tamaki Makaurau 905

66 Te Tai Hauauru 873

67 Te Tai Tokerau 733

68 Te Tai Tonga 1,025

69 Waiariki 874

Total 45,542

ENDS

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