See also: Elections in New Zealand.
| Agency Name: | Electoral Commission |
| Type: | Crown entity |
| Formed: | 1 October 2010 |
| Preceding1: | Electoral Commission |
| Preceding2: | Chief Electoral Office |
| Preceding3: | Electoral Enrolment Centre |
| Jurisdiction: | New Zealand |
| Headquarters: | Wellington |
| Chief1 Name: | Karl Le Quesne |
| Chief1 Position: | Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Executive |
The Electoral Commission (Maori: Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri) is an independent Crown entity set up by the New Zealand Parliament. It is responsible for the administration of parliamentary elections and referendums, promoting compliance with electoral laws, servicing the work of the Representation Commission, and the provision of advice, reports and public education on electoral matters. The commission also assists electoral agencies of other countries on a reciprocal basis with their electoral events.
The Electoral Act 1993 defines the objective of the Electoral Commission as
"to administer the electoral system impartially, efficiently, effectively, and in a way that –
- Facilitates participation in parliamentary democracy; and
- Promotes understanding of the electoral system; and
- Maintains confidence in the administration of the electoral system".[1]
The functions of the Electoral Commission are defined by law and in summary comprise:
The Electoral Commission is an independent Crown entity. The responsible Minister may not direct the commission to give effect to, or have regard to, government policy.
In addition:
The Electoral Commission Board has three members, appointed by the Governor-General, including one member as the Chairperson, one member as the Deputy Chairperson and the Chief Electoral Officer, who is the Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission.[2]
| Position | Name | Portrait | Date of appointment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chair | Dame Marie Shroff | 19 August 2019[3] | ||
| Deputy Chair | Jane Meares | 19 August 2019[4] | ||
| Chief Electoral Officer | Karl Le Quesne | 21 April 2022[5] |
| Electoral Event | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 20 November 2010 | ||
| Saturday, 5 March 2011 | ||
| Saturday, 25 June 2011 | ||
| Saturday, 26 November 2011 | ||
| Saturday, 26 November 2011 | ||
| February – October 2012 | ||
| Saturday, 29 June 2013 | ||
| 12 October 2016 | ||
| Saturday, 30 November 2013 | ||
| 22 November – 13 December 2013 | ||
| Saturday, 20 September 2014 | ||
| Saturday, 28 March 2015 | ||
| 20 November – 11 December 2015 | ||
| 3–24 March 2016 | ||
| 8 October 2016 | ||
| Saturday, 3 December 2016 | ||
| Saturday, 25 February 2017 | ||
| Saturday, 23 September 2017 | ||
| Saturday, 9 June 2018 | ||
| Saturday, 17 October 2020 | ||
| Saturday, 17 October 2020 | ||
| Saturday, 17 October 2020 | ||
| 2022 Tauranga by-election | Saturday, 18 June 2022 | |
| 2022 Hamilton West by-election | Saturday, 10 December 2022 | |
| Saturday, 14 October 2023 | ||
| 2023 Port Waikato by-election | Saturday, 25 November 2023 |
The Electoral (Administration) Amendment Bill, passed unanimously by Parliament 19 May 2010, established a new independent Electoral Commission which was given overarching responsibility to administer elections.
The Electoral Commission, which took over the responsibilities of the Chief Electoral Office and the previous Electoral Commission, was formed on Friday 1 October 2010.
On 1 July 2012 the statutory responsibilities of the Electoral Enrolment Centre of New Zealand Post were transferred to the commission in accordance with the Electoral (Administration) Amendment Act 2011.
The previous Electoral Commission of New Zealand (1993–2010) was a governmental body responsible for administering certain aspects of the country's electoral system.
It was an independent Crown entity, not part of any larger department or Ministry, and was established under the Electoral Act 1993. It worked alongside two other bodies, the Chief Electoral Office and the Electoral Enrolment Centre.
The four primary functions of the previous Electoral Commission were:
For most business, the previous Electoral Commission consisted of four members – a President, a Chief Executive, the head of the Ministry of Justice, and the Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court.
Two additional members, one appointed by the Government and one by the Opposition, participate in the commission e.g. on the allocation of broadcasting funds. This participation is generally condemned by smaller parties, which claim that Labour and National unfairly monopolised funding. These additional members were removed by Labour in 2007 by the Electoral Finance Act; but the Act was repealed by National in 2009, with clauses of the EFA dealing with donation disclosure inserted into the 1993 Electoral Act.