How does the Electoral Commission meet its obligation to make an inquiry into the particulars on the roll for every person registered as an elector of a district under s 89D of the Electoral Act 1993 in respect of persons who are resident at an address where postal services are not available (including because the NZ Post register of postal addresses has not been updated for the new address)?

Answer

For the purposes of section 89D of the Electoral Act 1993 the particulars on the roll for a person are defined as “the particulars contained in the application to register” (section 89D(7)(b) of the Electoral Act). I am advised the Electoral Commission writes to electors by post and the correspondence is sent to the address provided by the elector when they enrolled. If they provide a postal address, the mail will be sent to that address. It is up to the elector to provide the Electoral Commission with an alternative postal address if mail is not deliverable to their residential address. When people enrol online, there is a dropdown of postal addresses provided by NZ Post to assist people to select the correct address when updating an enrolment application.