Proposed electorate boundaries released
The lower North Island and Auckland are the areas where the most change is proposed in a review of electorate boundaries.
The Representation Commission is conducting the 2025 Boundary Review and has released the proposed boundaries and names for public comment.
“Our review is driven by population numbers and the need to ensure each electorate has about the same number of people living in it,” says Judge Kevin Kelly, Chair of the Representation Commission.
“Applying a formula in the Electoral Act 1993, the number of North Island general electorates must decrease by one. This is addressed in the lower North Island where the populations of all the current electorates are below the target quota.
“This change, coupled with some significant population changes elsewhere, has resulted in relatively substantial shifts in most electorate boundaries in the North Island, and particularly in the lower North Island and the Auckland region,” says Judge Kelly.
Key changes
In the lower North Island, there are changes for electorate boundaries from Wellington northwards. Two new electorates are created named Kenepuru and Kapiti while the three existing electorates of Ōhāriu, Mana and Ōtaki are removed, reducing the number of North Island electorates by one.
The changes in the Auckland region are driven by the significant growth in the north and the south having to be absorbed into the central electorates.
In west Auckland, New Lynn, Kelston and Te Atatū have been adjusted into reconfigured new electorates with proposed names Waitākere, Glendene and Rānui. In southeast Auckland, the boundaries of Panmure-Ōtāhuhu move south and the electorate is renamed Ōtāhuhu.
Bay of Plenty is another area of change. The Tauranga and Bay of Plenty electorates are proposed to be reconfigured, with Tauranga in the west and Bay of Plenty in the east. Bay of Plenty is renamed Mt Maunganui to better reflect the change there.
In the South Island, Selwyn is one of the fastest growing electorates in the country and adjustments have been made so that other Christchurch electorates take in more population.
In the Māori electorates, an adjustment is proposed to the boundary between Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and Te Tai Tonga in Lower Hutt. There are no changes proposed for the other five Māori electorates.
A description of each electorate is available in the Proposed Boundaries 2025 report at vote.nz/boundary-review.
Have your say
“Now the proposed boundaries have been released, we invite the public to have their say. You can make a written submission at vote.nz and there will be public hearings in June,” says Judge Kelly.
All public comment will be considered before the boundaries and names are finalised in August. The new boundaries will apply for the 2026 General Election.