As part of our work in setting up the Election Access Fund Te Tomokanga — Pūtea Whakatapoko Pōtitanga, we consulted with disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, political parties, and others to determine who can apply for funding.
To be eligible you must:
- be a disabled person, as described in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
- have a disability, access need or impairment that has lasted or will last for longer than six (6) months.
- be standing as a candidate in, or seeking selection as a candidate in a parliamentary general election or by-election
- be experiencing, or will experience, barriers to standing or seeking selection as a result of your disability or access need, which non-disabled people do not have
- meet the requirements to be a candidate under the Electoral Act 1993:
- At least 18 years old on or before nomination day or by the day the current Parliament expires
- A New Zealand citizen
- Registered as an elector, and
- Not otherwise disqualified for registration.
When can I apply?
If you are seeking party selection to be a candidate for a registered political party:
- you can apply to the Fund now
- you can apply for costs relating to what you need to do to seek party selection as a list and/or constituency (‘electorate’) candidate.
If you are seeking election as a candidate for a political party or standing as an independent candidate:
- you can apply for costs relating to being a candidate and seeking election to parliament
- you can do this at the same time as applying for selection costs or discuss this with us later once you have publicly announced that you are standing
- it does not matter if the party has not formally selected you as a candidate yet
- it does not matter if your party is registered with the Electoral Commission or not.
Visit this page to find out more about the Fund and what it can pay for.
Visit this page to access information about the Fund and the application process in alternate formats.
You can apply online here, or we can email or post you an application form. Please call or email us to request this: electionacessfund@elections.govt.nz or 0800 36 76 56
Before you put your application together we suggest you read through all the information on the Fund.
You will be required to include additional forms which you can access here. If you would like assistance in completing your application, we can help you with this.