Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced the date for the election will be pushed out to October 17 - and these are the key dates you need to know.
The election was due to be held on September 19 until there was a resurgence of COVID-19 in the community. This led to calls from National Party, ACT and New Zealand First for the election to be delayed because they are unable to campaign under the alert level restrictions.
On Monday, Ardern confirmed that Parliament will now be dissolved on September 6. After this, the Electoral Commission says the new election timetable is as follows:
Revised timetable
- September 13: writ day - the Governor-General issues the writ for the election to be held
- September 17 noon: the deadline for parties to submit bulk candidate nominations and party lists to the Electoral Commission
- September 18 noon: the deadline for individual electorate candidate nominations to returning officers
- September 30: overseas voting begins
- October 3: advance voting begins
- October 17: election day - preliminary results released progressively from 7pm
- October 30: preliminary referendum results released
- November 6: official results declared for the general election and referendums
Chief Electoral Officer Alicia Wright says after Parliament is dissolved on September 6, if there is a region that is considered unsafe to physically vote, she has the power to adjourn polling until that area is safe. But she would have to consult with the Prime Minister and leader of the Opposition.
She says there are measures in place to ensure that people will be able to vote in person at alert level 2, and protective gear will be available for staff if necessary.
