Time is running out for Māori voters to choose which electoral roll they want to be on for this year's general election.
Due to a law change last year voters of Māori descent can now change between the Māori roll and general roll or vice versa, at any time except in the three months before an election.
Electoral Commission chief advisor Māori Hone Matthews is urging Māori voters who want to make a change to do so, ahead of the 13 July deadline.
The commission has been doing a lot of work to promote the option to Māori and encourage more Māori to enrol, he said.
"We are trying to encourage all our people to participate, theirs is the choice what role they are on, what political parties they support. We just want our people to engage, to participate and to hear their voice."
Māori who are not yet enrolled can still choose their roll right up until election day, there have been over 2000 new enrolments across both rolls since 31 March, Matthews said.
As of 27 June over 12,000 people have switched between roll types. That included 6531 people who had changed from the general roll to the Māori roll and 5575 who had switched from Māori to general, Matthews said.
Political expert and academic Dr Rawiri Taonui said the slight increase in voters on the Māori roll was a sign that voters were weighing their options carefully, but he expected to see that increase continue.
"In the early options the numbers going onto the Māori roll were three, four times higher than those changing the other way. So it's a bit narrower this time but I think the trend is coming back to the Māori roll and there is an indication there of support for Te Pāti Māori."
The last period where Māori were able to switch rolls in 2018 saw a large number of voters switch to the general roll. Taonui said he thought that was a one-off, a reaction to the National-Māori Party alliance and an indication of the support for the Labour Party under Jacinda Ardern.
Taonui said many of the new enrolments and changes to the Māori roll would likely be from younger people aged 18 to 34 who now made up the largest cohort of Māori voters.
These younger voters tended to be supportive of kaupapa Māori advancement, he said.
"If we want to keep progressing Māori forward then it's really important for Māori to have their say, whichever way they think things should go. This election is for Māori, is going to be about Māori policy going forwards or going backwards."
People can enrol, update their address, and change rolls if they would like to online at vote.nz, or call 0800 36 76 56 to ask for an enrolment form to be sent to them in the mail.
