Eleven Days Left: Leoni Urges Māori Voters To Confirm Their Roll Before 6 August Deadline
Labour’s Tāmaki Makaurau candidate Kerrin Leoni is urging voters of Māori descent to check their enrolment and confirm which electoral roll they are on before the Māori Electoral Option closes at midnight on Thursday 6 August.
Voters who miss the deadline will remain on their current roll until after the 7 November general election. Those not yet enrolled can still enrol and choose a roll up to 25 October, but enrolled voters have only until 6 August to switch.
Leoni (Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kurī) made the call at the opening of Labour’s Waitakere and Glendene campaign office in West Auckland on Saturday, alongside Labour deputy leader and Glendene candidate Carmel Sepuloni and Waitakere candidate Vanushi Walters.
“Eleven days. That is all the time our whānau have to make this decision,” Leoni said. “After 6 August the choice is locked in until after the election. I would rather have this kōrero with our people now than explain it to them in November.”
Leoni said the roll decision was not about party loyalty but about how whānau want to be represented in Parliament.
“Every law passed in Parliament reaches into our homes, what we pay in rent, how long we wait to see a doctor, what our tamariki are taught, whether there is work at the end of the week. If we want better outcomes, Māori have to be part of the decisions that produce them.”
Electoral Commission figures show Māori participation continues to lag the national rate. At the 2023 general election, turnout among enrolled voters of Māori descent was 70.3 percent, compared with a national turnout of 78.2 percent. Turnout on the Māori roll was 68 percent.
The Commission reported this month that a majority of enrolled voters of Māori descent are now on the Māori roll for the first time 302,096, against 255,627 on the general roll, a shift driven largely by younger voters. Movement during this year’s option period has run in both directions: 4,731 voters have switched from the general roll to the Māori roll and 5,113 have moved the other way, while more than 15,000 have updated their details without changing rolls.
Leoni said the figures showed engagement was rising, but that the turnout gap remained the largest untapped source of Māori political influence in the country.
“Our tūpuna fought hard so that future generations would have a voice. We honour that by enrolling, by voting, and by making sure the people around us do the same.”
She said there was no wrong answer on which roll a voter chooses.
“That choice is yours and it has mana. What matters is that you make it deliberately, rather than let a deadline make it for you.”
Leoni urged supporters to spend the next fortnight talking to whānau, neighbours and workmates about enrolment, and to help older and first-time voters check their details online at vote.nz.
“Every conversation matters. Every new enrolment matters. Every vote helps decide who sits in Parliament and what laws they pass.”
She also acknowledged Sepuloni’s work in West Auckland, describing her as a hardworking representative with a long record of service to Pacific and Māori families in the west.
“When Māori participate, Māori voices are stronger. And when our voices are stronger in Parliament, we have a greater opportunity to shape the future of Aotearoa together.”
Leoni is contesting Tāmaki Makaurau, held by Te Pāti Māori’s Oriini Kaipara following the September 2025 by-election. She has said her campaign priorities are employment, health and housing, with a particular focus on homeless rangatahi.
KEY ELECTORAL DATES
| Date | Milestone |
| 6 August 2026 | Deadline for enrolled voters of Māori descent to change rolls (midnight) |
| 4 October 2026 | Enrol by this date to receive an EasyVote card |
| 25 October 2026 | Enrolment closes |
| 26 October 2026 | Advance voting opens |
| 7 November 2026 | Election day |
Notes:
Kerrin Leoni (Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kurī) is Labour’s candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau at the 2026 general election. She was the first wahine Māori elected to Auckland Council, serving the Whau ward from 2022 to 2025, and previously served on the Waitematā Local Board. She contested the Auckland mayoralty in 2025 and stood for Labour in the Waikato electorate in 2020.
Source data: all enrolment and turnout figures are published by the Electoral Commission (elections.nz and vote.nz). 2023 turnout figures are from the Commission’s official post-election statistics; enrolment figures are from Commission releases dated July 2026 and are updated monthly.
Enrolment enquiries: vote.nz, or 0800 36 76 56. Voters can also text their name and address to 3676 to request an enrolment form.
