Electoral Act 1993

Miscellaneous provisions - Transitional provisions

269: Membership of Representation Commission

You could also call this:

"Who is on the group that decides electoral district boundaries?"

When the Electoral Act 1993 started, some people were already on the Representation Commission. You are deemed to have been appointed to the Commission under section 28(2)(e) or section 28(2)(f) or section 28(3)(b) of this Act if you were on the Commission before. This means they can keep working on the Commission.

The Minister has to choose a two-month period for Maori to decide if they want to be on the general roll or the Maori roll, as stated in section 76. After this period, the Electoral Commission will make a report.

The Government Statistician then uses this report and the census results from 1991 to calculate the population of each area, as required by section 77(6). They tell the Surveyor-General and the Commission about their findings. The Surveyor-General makes maps showing where people live and the boundaries of the electoral districts.

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This page was last updated on 18 July 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM310497.

Topics:

Government and voting > Elections

268: Restriction on amendment or repeal of certain provisions, or

"Some parts of the Electoral Act can't be changed without a big majority vote"

270: Electoral districts, electoral rolls, general elections, and by-elections, or

"Voting areas, voter lists, and election rules"

Part 9Miscellaneous provisions
Transitional provisions

269Membership of Representation Commission

Every person who held office as a member of the Representation Commission under section 15(2)(e) or section 15(2)(f) or section 15(3)(b) of the Electoral Act 1956 immediately before the commencement of this section shall be deemed to have been appointed as a member of the Commission under section 28(2)(e) or section 28(2)(f) or section 28(3)(b) of this Act, as the case may require.
For the purpose of enabling the Representation Commission to divide New Zealand into electoral districts on the first occasion after this Act is passed, the Minister shall, as soon as is practicable after the commencement of this section, specify a period of 2 months during which any Maori may exercise the option given by section 76.
Following the report of the Electoral Commission under section 77(6), the Government Statistician shall prepare a report on the General electoral population and the Maori electoral population in accordance with the provisions of this Act, based on the results of the periodical census conducted in the year 1991, and the report of the Electoral Commission made pursuant to section 77(6), and shall report the results of the census and his or her calculation of the electoral populations to the Surveyor-General and to the other members of the Commission.
Upon the receipt of that report, the Surveyor-General shall prepare maps showing the distribution of the population and provisional boundaries for the General electoral districts and the Maori electoral districts and shall then call a meeting of the Commission.
The report so made by the Government Statistician, and the maps so prepared by the Surveyor-General, shall be sufficient evidence as to the General electoral population and the Maori electoral population of New Zealand or of the North Island or of the South Island or of any district.
In relation to the first occasion on which, after the commencement of this section, New Zealand is, under this Act, divided into electoral districts, section 35(3)(f)(i) shall not apply.

Notes

Section 269(3): amended, on 1 July 2012, by section 52(18)(i) of the Electoral (Administration) Amendment Act 2011 (2011 No 57).