Electoral Act 1993

Registration of electors - Change of address

89B: Elector must give notice of change of place of residence within electoral district

You could also call this:

"Tell the Electoral Commission if you move to a new house in your area"

If you change your address within your electoral district, you must tell the Electoral Commission. You have two months to give them notice of your new address. You can do this in writing or online. If you have a disability, you can ask someone to help you give notice. The Electoral Commission will update your details on the electoral roll. They will also send you a confirmation. If you do not give notice, you might get a fine. But you can still vote in the election. You can avoid the fine if you give notice before the Electoral Commission starts a prosecution against you, or if they update your details first. You can also avoid the fine if the Electoral Commission has already updated your details under section 89CA, or if you give notice as required by section 86 and section 94A.

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 It might be out of date or be missing some parts.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

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6011661.

This page was last updated on 14 January 2026 — View changes

Topics:

Government and voting > ElectionsGovernment and voting > Local councilsMoney and consumer rights > Taxes

89A: Notice of registration, or

"When you're added to the voter list, you get a notice to confirm it."

89C: Elector must give notice of change of place of residence to different electoral district, or

"Tell the Electoral Commission if you move to a new area"

Part 5Registration of electors
Change of address

89BElector must give notice of change of place of residence within electoral district

This section applies to an elector who, being registered as an elector of an electoral district, changes his or her place of residence within that district.
The elector must, within 2 months after the date on which he or she changed his or her place of residence, give notice of—
the change of his or her place of residence; and
the address of the new place of residence.

Notice under subsection (2) must be given—
in writing to the Electoral Commission; or
in an approved electronic medium.

An elector who has a physical or mental impairment may give notice under subsection (2) through a representative, and section 86 applies with any necessary modifications.
On receiving a notice under subsection (2), the Electoral Commission must—
amend the roll to record the change in the elector's place of residence; and
give confirmation to the elector, in accordance with section 94A, of that amendment.

An elector who knowingly and wilfully fails to comply with subsection (2)—
commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine—
1. not exceeding $50 on a first conviction; and
2. not exceeding $100 on any subsequent conviction; but
is not, by reason only of that failure, disqualified from voting at an election in the electoral district in which he or she is registered.

However, a person is not liable for prosecution for an offence under subsection (6) if, before the commencement of the prosecution,—
the person gives notice, in accordance with subsection (3), of the matters specified in subsection (2)(a) and (b); or
the Electoral Commission has, under section 89CA, amended the electoral roll to record the change in the person’s place of residence.

Notes

Section 89B: inserted, on 25 March 2014, by section 22 of the Electoral Amendment Act 2014 (2014 No 8).
Section 89B(3)(a): amended, on 21 March 2017, by section 29(1) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 9).
Section 89B(5): amended, on 21 March 2017, by section 29(2) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 9).
Section 89B(7): replaced, on 20 December 2025, by section 25 of the Electoral Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 82).