Kids Voting – Te Pōti a Ngā Tamariki gives your school everything it needs to run a mock election. Teach your students about real candidates, parties and election issues, and give them a first-hand voting experience.
Registrations open soon for Kids Voting - Te Pōti a Ngā Tamariki 2026
Registrations for the 2026 programme will open in Term 1.
If you have questions, or want to be notified when registrations open, you can email us at schools@elections.govt.nz
How it works
Kids Voting – Te Pōti a Ngā Tamariki is a civics education programme that gives young New Zealanders the opportunity to explore real-life election issues, parties and candidates in an election year.
The programme builds up to a mock election, which gives students first-hand experience of the voting process.
In 2026, mock elections will take place early in Term 4.
Support your students with our curriculum-aligned teaching units
Use our teaching units to help your students understand how voting works and encourage them to take part.
We have units that align with levels 1 to 5 of the New Zealand Social Sciences Curriculum and level 5 of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.
Resource for curriculum levels 1 and 2
Resources for curriculum levels 3 and 4
Resource for curriculum level 5
Resource for Te Marautanga o Aotearoa