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The Chief Electoral Officer, Karl Le Quesne, with The Governor-General, Her Excellency The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro
Source: Supplied.
The writ is a document that officially instructs the Electoral Commission to arrange and hold the general election.
The Electoral Act 1993 requires the writ to be issued within one week of Parliament being dissolved. After the dissolution of Parliament on 8 September, the Governor-General of New Zealand, Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, signed the writ on 'Writ Day' - Sunday 10 September at Government House.
The writ sets out:
- The deadline by which registered parties nominate their electorate candidates and supply their party lists to the Electoral Commission (midday 14 September)
- The deadline by which individual nominations of electorate candidates are submitted (midday 15 September)
- The date for the writ to be returned (by 9 November).
The return of the writ
After the election has been held, the writ is returned to the Clerk of the House of Representatives with the names of all successful candidates who have been elected to electorate seats.
The Clerk also receives a separate declaration showing the names of candidates elected from party lists. Together, these documents make up the final election results, and certify that successful candidates have the right to be members of Parliament.
What else happens on Writ Day?
Writ Day marks the first day that candidates and parties can start party-political election advertising on TV and radio.
The Governor-General also usually issues a proclamation to summon the 53rd Parliament, which requires Parliament to open again on the last day allowed by law. This proclamation is symbolic and signals the Crown’s intention to preserve the continuity of Parliament and our representative democracy. The new Parliament must be called within 6 weeks of the date fixed for the return of the writ (which is set out on the writ itself).
Once a government is formed after the election, another proclamation will probably be issued, which will summon Parliament to open sooner than the last possible date.
The 53rd Parliament was dissolved on 8 September.