A boundary review is being held to set electorate boundaries for the 2026 General Election.
What's changing?
The Representation Commission is proposing changes to New Zealand’s parliamentary electorates. This includes changes to the boundaries and, in some cases, the names of electorates.
Having your say
You can have your say on the proposed electorate boundaries and names. Once the Representation Commission releases its draft proposal, public consultation will happen in three stages:
- written objections
- written counter-objections
- public hearings
What is a boundary review?
After each population census, the Representation Commission reviews and adjusts electorate boundaries.
Regularly adjusting the electorate boundaries makes sure each electorate has about the same number of people. This gives all New Zealanders equal representation in Parliament.
How are electoral boundaries decided? (elections.nz)
The Representation Commission will release its draft electorate boundaries and electorate names for public consultation in March 2025.
How many electorates will there be?
The Government Statistician works out how many Māori and general electorates there should be. They also work out the population quotas – how many people should be in each electorate.
For the 2026 General Election:
- the number of general electorates in the North Island reduces from 49 to 48
- the number of general electorates in the South Island is fixed at 16
- the number of Māori electorates remains unchanged at 7.
Working out how many electorates there should be (elections.nz)
What happens in a boundary review? (elections.nz)
Who reviews electorate boundaries?
The Representation Commission is the independent body that reviews the boundaries and names of electorates. The members include public officials and Government and Opposition appointees.