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Electoral Act 1993

Elections - Nominations

143: Nominations of candidates for electoral districts

You could also call this:

"How to become a candidate for an electoral district"

Illustration for Electoral Act 1993

You can be nominated as a candidate for an electoral district if you are qualified under this Act. You need to have at least two registered electors from that district nominate you using a nomination paper from the Electoral Commission. Your consent to be nominated must be in writing or electronic, unless the Electoral Commission says otherwise. You can give your consent at any time, it does not have to be when the nomination paper is lodged. If you are outside New Zealand, you can give your consent in a way approved by the Electoral Commission. Your nomination paper and consent must be lodged with the Electoral Commission by noon on nomination day, as stated in section 142(2)(b). The Electoral Commission will acknowledge that they have received your nomination in writing. You will need a separate nomination paper for each candidate, and the Electoral Commission must be able to identify you from it. You must make sure your name is short enough to fit on the ballot paper. You can only nominate one candidate for an electoral district. The Electoral Commission must approve the way you are nominated.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM309493.

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Government and voting > Elections
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Part 6Elections
Nominations

143Nominations of candidates for electoral districts

  1. Any person qualified under this Act may, with his or her consent, be nominated as a constituency candidate for election for any electoral district, by not fewer than 2 registered electors of that district, by a nomination paper on a form provided by the Electoral Commission.

  2. A person's consent to nomination—

  3. must, unless subsection (3) applies, be given in writing or electronically; but
    1. need not be given at the time the nomination paper is lodged.

      1. Where any person is for the time being outside New Zealand, his or her consent, for the purposes of subsection (2), may be signified in any manner approved by the Electoral Commission.

      2. Repealed

      3. A nomination paper and a person’s consent to nomination must be lodged with the Electoral Commission, in accordance with the requirements notified under section 142(2)(b), no later than noon on nomination day.

      4. The Electoral Commission must acknowledge, in writing, receipt of a nomination made in accordance with the requirements in subsections (1) to (3).

      5. Each constituency candidate shall be nominated by a separate nomination paper in such manner as, in the opinion of the Electoral Commission, is sufficient to identify the constituency candidate.

      6. Every constituency candidate shall ensure that the name or names shown on the nomination paper as the name or names to be used on the ballot paper are short enough to fit on the ballot paper.

      7. No elector may nominate more than 1 constituency candidate.

      8. Repealed
      Notes
      • Section 143(1): substituted, on , by section 55(1) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 1).
      • Section 143(1): amended, on , by section 32(1)(a) of the Electoral (Administration) Amendment Act 2010 (2010 No 26).
      • Section 143(2): replaced, on , by section 45 of the Electoral Amendment Act 2014 (2014 No 8).
      • Section 143(3): amended, on , by section 83(1) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 82).
      • Section 143(3): amended, on , by section 32(1)(a) of the Electoral (Administration) Amendment Act 2010 (2010 No 26).
      • Section 143(3A): repealed, on , by section 69 of the Electoral Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 9).
      • Section 143(4): replaced, on , by section 83(2) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 82).
      • Section 143(4A): inserted, on , by section 83(2) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 82).
      • Section 143(5): amended, on , by section 83(3) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 82).
      • Section 143(8): repealed, on , by section 83(4) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 82).