The Government claims closing voter enrolments 13 days before an election is needed for efficiency. But the move has been slammed as inconsistent with the Bill of Rights – with Attorney-General Judith Collins among its critics.

Auto Enrol NZ says the Government is overlooking the obvious solution: Automatic Voter Enrolment.

“Automatic enrolment would strengthen democracy while delivering the efficiency the Government claims to be chasing,” says Auto Enrol NZ spokesperson, Bhenjamin Goodsir. “Instead of creating barriers, it would make the system smarter, fairer and easier for everyday New Zealanders.”

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith pointed to Australia’s 26-day cut-off as justification. But unlike New Zealand, Australia already has automatic enrolment – and more than 98% of eligible Australians are on the roll, compared with only 88% here.

Auto Enrol NZ says now is the right time for reform: “This is a rare chance to do both – modernise our electoral system and strengthen the right to vote. For a Government that prides itself on efficiency, Automatic Enrolment is the obvious solution.”

Other democracies, including Canada, Finland, Germany, South Korea, much of the United States, and soon the United Kingdom, have also adopted Automatic Enrolment with success.

"By international standards, Automatic Enrolment is the benchmark of a modern, robust and effective democracy and New Zealand isn’t meeting it."

Our current enrolment system is slow and inefficient. It requires many New Zealanders to fill out paperwork and track down postboxes to provide the Electoral Commission with information it already holds. In the lead-up to the 2017 election alone, the Commission mailed more than 450,000 invitations to enrol or update details, most of which went unanswered.

This problem will only worsen if NZ Post proceeds with plans to scale back its services — including cutting outlets by 43 percent and shifting many deliveries to communal collection points. 10% of households also lack internet access, further restricting access to enrolment channels.

“New Zealand is falling behind,” says Goodsir. “Automatic enrolment won’t solve every problem, but it will close most of the gap and free up the Commission to focus on the small number of communities still missing from the roll.”

"For a Government that wants a modern, robust and efficient electoral system, only automatic enrolment ticks all the boxes"

Auto Enrol NZ:

Auto Enrol NZ a non-partisan group seeking to promote Automatic Voter Enrolment to modernise our democracy, in line with many of our international peers, and uphold the trust and confidence New Zealanders have in our democratic system.

See more at autoenrol.nz

Key facts:

Australia, Germany, and South Korea have Automatic Voter Enrolment with the UK bringing it in soon.

Despite an earlier cut-off deadline, more than 98% of eligible Australians are on the roll, compared with only 88% in New Zealand.

In the lead-up to the 2017 election alone, the Commission mailed more than 450,000 invitations to enrol or update details, most of which went unanswered.

NZ Post cutting outlets by 43 percent and shifting many deliveries to “communal” collection points.

10 percent of households still lack internet access. For renters and people in rural areas the figure is higher, between 14 and 17 percent

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