The by-election for the Māori electorate, Tāmaki Makaurau, is just a few months away, with Oriini Kaipara, Peeni Henare, and Hannah Tamaki already gunning for the seat.
This will be different from the 2023 elections, as there is no Party vote; there will only be one vote needed for the MP.
Although there’s a strong push for people of Māori descent to switch from the general roll to the Māori roll, the Electoral Act prevents anyone who made the switch after July 9 from voting in the upcoming Tāmaki Makaurau by-election.
However, those who haven’t enrolled yet still have a chance to vote, depending on whether they choose the Māori roll or the general roll when they sign up.
Only those enrolled in the electorate and on the Māori roll can vote.
Voting in the by-election will begin on August 20 for overseas voters, and then advance voting in Aotearoa opens on August 25. Election day is set for September 6.
The boundaries of the Tāmaki Makaurau Māori electorate are unusual, with much of Auckland excluded from it. Areas like the North Shore, Papakura, and parts of Henderson fall outside the electorate, along with several other suburbs in the northwest and southeast. However, the electorate does stretch from the Waitākere Ranges to Bucklands Beach, and includes both Waiheke and Ponui Islands.
Although it is the smallest electorate by size, it has the second highest amount of Māori voters enrolled on the Māori roll with 44,003, only missing the top spot to Waiariki by 39 voters.
The candidates
Over the past week, news has circulated on who will be taking the late Te Pāti Māori Takutai Tarsh Kemp, with parties already announcing their picks.
Te Pāti Māori chose former Broadcaster Oriini Kaipara, with Kemps whānau presenting the mauri of the Tāmaki Makaurau seat to her on Friday.
Over the weekend, Labour selected Peeni Henare, who is currently a sitting list MP, as its candidate for the by-election. If he wins, his list seat will go to Georgie Dansey, who is also Māori and next in line on the party list.
But those two aren’t the only ones competing as Vision New Zealand leader Hannah Tamaki is also planning on running again.
The National, Act, New Zealand First, and Green Party have all ruled out participating in the upcoming by-election.
Although the parties have made their picks, the nominations aren’t official yet. Candidate nominations only opened on Tuesday and will close on August 5, with the official list of candidates announced that same day.
When will we find out who got the seat?
Voting closes at 7 pm on September 6, with the Electoral Commission aiming to have 95 percent of the votes counted by 10:30 pm that night.
The official results will be announced 11 days after all the special declarations and overseas votes are counted.
Those who lost are able to demand a recount, but only have five days to make an application.
We can expect to see whoever wins the seat sitting in government in late September.
Tāmaki Makaurau by-election timetable
| Wednesday 9 July | Vacancy declared by the Speaker |
|---|---|
| Thursday 10 July | Start of the regulated period for election advertising expenses |
| Monday 14 July | Date of by-election announced by the Prime Minister |
| Tuesday 15 July | Nominations open for the by-election |
| Wednesday 30 July | Writ Day Governor-General issues writ directing the Electoral Commission to hold the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election |
| Tuesday 5 August | Nominations close at noon for candidates in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-electionTāmaki Makaurau by-election candidates announced in the afternoon by the Electoral Commission Voting paper printing starts |
| Wednesday 20 August | Overseas voting starts |
| Monday 25 August | Advance voting starts |
| Friday 5 September | All political advertising ceases,7 pm and election signs taken down by midnight |
| Saturday 6 September | Election day for the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election Voting places open from 9 am to 7 pm Preliminary Results progressively available from 7 pm on www.electionresults.govt.nz. Targets for release are: by 9.00pm results from 50% of voting places by 10.30pm results from 95% of voting places These are targets are not guarantees |
| Wednesday 17 September | Official Results declared (including special declaration and overseas votes) |
| Monday 22 September | Deadline for applications for judicial recount |
| Tuesday 23 September | Return of Writ by Electoral Commission naming successful candidate (presuming no recount) |
| Monday 15 December | Deadline for Returns of Candidate Election Expenses, Donations and Loans to Electoral Commission |
It is key to note that the Local Government Elections start only three days later on September 9, so many Māori voters will be hitting the booths twice within a month.
Voters can enrol or update their details at vote.nz or call 0800 36 76 56 to ask for an enrolment form to be sent to them.
To check whether you’re in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate, visit the Electoral Commission’s website and view their interactive map.
