Nelson College students Aedan Bruce and Arturo Neale are counting down to casting their first votes in New Zealand’s general election on 7 November.
But more than 2100 young people in the Nelson electorate could miss out on having their say because they are not enrolled to vote.
Just 56.86% of eligible 18 to 24-year-olds in the electorate are enrolled, with Electoral Commission figures showing about 2130 people in that age group remain off the roll.
The Year 13 students say most of their friends have a base-level interest in the election, but there are gaps when it comes to understanding the parties and policies.
“A lot of young people don’t see the direct connection to politics and what happens in real life,” Aedan says. “People our age just don’t know the parties or policies that well.”
Aedan turns 18 on 17 October, making him eligible to vote in a general election for the first time, while Arturo turned 18 on 2 August.
Many young people leave Nelson for study or work, Arturo says, but voting remains important if they want the city to be thriving when they return.
“It’s important, especially in the Nelson electorate where it was so close [in the last election], so your vote does matter,” Arturo says.
Aedan agrees.
“The decisions that happen now will impact what New Zealand will be like in the future.”
Both young men are helping organise a local MP candidates’ event at Nelson College on 23 October to boost youth engagement and encourage more young people to take an interest in the election.
Arturo would also like to see more Year 13 school assemblies focused on voting and the electoral process.
“That would make a massive difference.”
The pair believe students who leave school before Year 13 should also be specifically targeted, as they can miss out on information about enrolling and voting.
The Electoral Commission says younger and first-time voters are a focus of its election-year campaign.
Its Top of the South community engagement team includes a youth advocate focused on peer-to-peer support for young people. The commission is also using targeted advertising, social media, school visits and tertiary outreach to encourage enrolment.
Aedan recommends young people who want some guidance on who to vote for should check out www.onthefence.effect.nz
“Get out and vote, it’s not difficult to enrol.”
It’s a different story among Nelson’s older voters. More than 90% of eligible 25 to 29-year-olds are enrolled, rising to more than 95% for those aged 55 to 64.
Overall, 91.3% of eligible voters in the Nelson electorate were enrolled as of late August, slightly higher than the national rate of 89%.
Nelson is also ahead of where it was at the same point before the 2023 election, when 89.6% were enrolled, although just behind the 91.5% recorded ahead of the 2020 election.
More people have been getting on the roll this year too. Between 1 January and 16 August, there were 672 new enrolments in Nelson, compared with 244 over the same period in 2023.
There were also 1842 address changes, up from 593 in 2023.
Those numbers are still below 2020, when 805 new enrolments and 2849 address changes had been recorded by this point.
Making sure people are enrolled at the right address is another focus for the Electoral Commission ahead of the election.
From 17 August, 3.6 million enrolment update packs were sent out across the country asking voters to check their details. The commission says anyone who did not receive one by 22 August may not be enrolled or may have an old address on the roll.
People can enrol or update their details at www.vote.nz or by calling 0800 36 76 56. Paper enrolment forms are also available at Nelson City Council, Elma Turner Library, Whakatū Marae, Tāhunanui Community Hub, Putangitangi Greenmeadows, Stoke Library and Victory Community Centre.
