As the general election looms, the boundaries for general electorates may be a little confusing for some residents of Central Otago.

Alexandra and Clyde and towns further south are in the Southland electorate, as is Middlemarch; while Ophir, Oturehua, St Bathans and Naseby are in Waitaki, as are Cromwell and Tarras. 

For those on the Māori electoral roll, matters are simpler, with the whole of the South Island as well as parts of Wellington all covered by Te Tai Tonga.

If you are enrolled to vote in the 2023 general election and the electoral commission has your current address, you should have received information in the post about which electorate you are in, and how and when to vote.

If you have not received this, you may not be enrolled to vote, or you may still be listed under a previous address. It’s easy to check online on the electoral commission website where you can also enrol if you haven’t already. 

To be eligible to vote, you must be 18 years or older, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and have lived in New Zealand for 12 continuous months or more at some time in your life.

If you newly enrol to vote or update your details by this Sunday (September 10), you should receive information about the election in the mail, including an EasyVote card to streamline the procedure. 

Voting starts Monday, October 2, and continues through election day, Saturday October 14, with all voting places open on the Saturday from 9am - 7pm. 

The final day for enrolment is the day before the election, October 13, but the electoral commission strongly advises enrolling as early as possible.

Check out the Elections tab on The Central App’s News page to read what the main candidates in Southland and Waitaki have to say about issues that affect on Central Otago. 

Keep reading over the next week for the Te Tai Tonga and minor party candidates.

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