What are the current electorate boundaries?

There are 70 electorates - 63 general electorates and 7 Māori electorates. Maps of the electorate boundaries are available here.

When are electorates reconsidered?

The electorate boundaries must be redrawn by the Representation Commission after each five-yearly population census and Māori Electoral Option.

The Representation Commission last redrew the electorate boundaries in 2007.

What could change?

The Census population figures, the Māori Electoral Option and the Representation Commission process could affect the:

• number of Māori electorates
• number of North Island electorates
• names of electorates
• boundaries of electorates
• number of list seats in parliament (120 minus the number of Māori and general electorates)

Who makes the decisions on names and boundaries of electorates?

The Representation Commission is an independent body that reviews and redraws New Zealand's electorate boundaries. Membership of the Representation Commission is specified in legislation. It includes four ex-officio members (the Surveyor-General, the Government Statistician, the Chief Electoral Officer, and the Chairperson of the Local Government Commission) and two political representatives.

The Chairperson of the Representation Commission is nominated by the Commission and by convention is usually a district court judge.

When considering the boundaries of the Māori electorates, the Representation Commission membership includes the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kōkiri and two political representatives who must be Māori.

How is the number of electorates decided?

Electoral districts must have similar numbers of people living in them, regardless of the geographic area an electorate covers. The Government Statistician calculates the electoral population of all electorates.  

Under legislation, there is always 16 South Island general electorates.  The population quota for each South Island general electorates is calculated by dividing the population of the South Island by 16.

Because all electorates are required to be of similar size, the number of Māori electorates and North Island electorates are calculated by dividing the relevant electoral populations by the South Island quota.

How are decisions made about where to draw the electorate boundaries?

Each electorate must have an electoral population that is within +/- 5% of its electoral population quota.

The Representation Commission decides the electorate boundaries using demographic, cultural and geographic criteria set in law.

Objections and counter-objections to the proposed boundaries

The Representation Commission's proposed electorate names and boundaries are released for public consultation.  The public may make written objections to the proposed boundaries or suggest alternatives.

A summary of the objections is published, followed by a period in which the public may submit written counter-objections to any objection received for the proposed boundaries.

The Representation Commission meets to hear the objections and counter-objections before making final decisions.

Final electorate boundaries

The Representation Commission produces its final report on the names and boundaries of electorates after considering any objections and counter-objections. The Commission publishes a notice, stating that it has determined the electorate names and boundaries and where this information can be found. These become the electorates for general elections until the Commission reviews them again.

Relevant Resources

Representation Commission 

Proposed 2007 electoral boundaries

Final report of the 2002 Representation Commission

Final report of the 2002 Representation Commission and annexes