You're eligible to enrol and vote if you're 18 years or older, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and you've lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more at some time in your life.
Every eligible person in a household can enrol and post their own individual vote.
If you're enrolled for the general election for Parliament, you'll automatically be placed on Council's electoral roll.
Check to see if you're enrolled or need to update your details
If you enrol after Friday 1 August
If you haven't enrolled by 1 August, or you are on the unlisted electoral roll for personal reasons, you won’t get your voting papers sent to you in the mail, and will need to cast a special vote.
To cast a special vote, you can:
- come in person to Council's Customer Service Centre during opening hours between 9 September and 11 October, or
- come to our libraries on Saturdays during this period, or
- email info@pncc.govt.nz with your full name and residential address and ask that a special vote be posted to you,or
- call 06 356 8199. You will also need to make sure you have updated your enrolment according to the info below
How to enrol
Enrol online at vote.nz/enrol. It's super easy! Or, you can also:
- download an enrolment form [PDF 406KB]
- grab a form from our Customer Service Centre or from one of our libraries
- phone free on 0800 36 76 56
- text your name and address to free text 3676 and the form will be posted out to you.
If you're Māori, you have the choice to enrol on either the Māori roll or the general roll. This decision determines which candidates you can vote for in both local and general elections.
If you're on the Māori roll, you will be voting in Palmerston North's Te Pūao Māori Ward. If you're on the general roll, you'll be voting in Te Hirawanui General Ward.
When can you choose?
- If you’re enrolling for the first time, you can choose your roll when you sign up.
- You can also change rolls, but not in the 3 months before local or general elections, or before a by-election in Palmerston North.
Your choice matters, so pick the roll that feels right for you!
Read more about Māori Electoral Option
You can vote in Palmerston North City Council elections if you are registered as a ratepayer elector. Use the enrolment form below.
Enrolment form for ratepayer electors(PDF, 185KB)
Non-resident ratepayer enrolments can also be done online at
Ratepayer Elector Enrolment Portal
Support is available to help you enrol and vote if you have a disability.
If English is not your first language
The Vote NZ website has multilingual information about enrolling to vote.
Enrolment information in multiple languages | Vote.NZ