Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Electoral Act 1993

Registration of political parties and party logos - Registration of political parties

71: Requirement for registered parties to follow democratic procedures in candidate selection

You could also call this:

"Parties must let members help choose election candidates in a fair way"

Illustration for Electoral Act 1993

If you are a member of a registered political party in New Zealand, your party must let you help choose the candidates who will represent your party in an election. You can help choose these candidates if you are a current financial member of the party and you would be able to vote for them. Your party can also choose candidates through delegates who were elected by current financial members of the party.

Your party can use either of these methods, or a combination of both, to select candidates for an election. This means you might get to vote directly for the candidates, or you might vote for delegates who then choose the candidates. Either way, your party must make sure that current financial members like you get to participate in selecting the candidates.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6011566.

Topics:
Government and voting > Elections
Previous

70A: Cancellation of registration of party logo, or

"Stopping a political party's logo from being official"

Next

71A: Obligation to provide annual declaration regarding party, or

"Political parties must send a yearly report to the Electoral Commission by 30 April."

Part 4Registration of political parties and party logos
Registration of political parties

71Requirement for registered parties to follow democratic procedures in candidate selection

  1. Every political party that is for the time being registered under this Part shall ensure that provision is made for participation in the selection of candidates representing the party for election as members of Parliament by—

  2. current financial members of the party who are or would be entitled to vote for those candidates at any election; or
    1. delegates who have (whether directly or indirectly) in turn been elected or otherwise selected by current financial members of the party; or
      1. a combination of the persons or classes of persons referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b).