78BMāori option may not be exercised in local government election period

1. The following persons may not exercise the Māori option during a local government election period:

2. a Māori who is registered as an elector of an electoral district:
3. a Māori who is named on a dormant roll and applies for registration as an elector of an electoral district.

4. To avoid doubt, subsection (1) relates to changing the type of electoral district in which the person is entitled to vote only and does not otherwise affect any other section in this Act relating to the registration of electors.

5. The Electoral Commission must not give effect to either of the following during a local government election period:

6. any advice received under section 77(3) by a registered elector; or
7. if processing an application under section 83 by a Māori person named on a dormant roll, the choice made by the person when exercising the Māori option in that application if it would register them as an elector for a different type of electoral district from that for which they were previously registered.

8. In this section,—

   district, Māori constituency, Māori ward, and region have the meanings given to them in section 5(1) of the Local Electoral Act 2001

   local government election period means a period that is 3 months before polling day for—

   1. an election held under section 10(2) of the Local Electoral Act 2001; or
   2. an election that is either of the following if the district or region in which the election is to be held has a Māori ward or Māori constituency:
      1. a triennial general election of members of a local authority that has been postponed under section 24A(3)(c) or 258I(1) of the Local Government Act 2002:
      2. a general election of a local authority called under section 258M(1) of the Local Government Act 2002 by the Minister responsible for the administration of that Act.