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Candidate nominations for the 2026 General Election open on Monday 7 September and close at noon on Thursday 8 October.   

There are two types of candidates:

• Electorate candidates who stand for election in electorates.
• List candidates on party lists of registered parties who may be elected through the party vote.

Who can be a candidate

To be a candidate you must be enrolled to vote and a New Zealand citizen by noon 8 October.

How to become a candidate

There are two ways to nominate electorate candidates: 

• Bulk nomination of all the party’s candidates by the secretary of a registered party.
• Individual nomination of a candidate by two enrolled electors of the electorate being contested. 

Candidates for registered parties should check with their party secretary which method of nomination their party is using. Candidates can only use the method chosen by the party secretary.

Only registered parties can stand list candidates at a general election. Party list candidates are lodged with the Electoral Commission by the party secretary.

Individual electorate candidate nominations

Individual nomination form must be completed by:

• independent candidates
• candidates for unregistered parties
• candidates for registered parties not making a bulk nomination. 

A $300 deposit must be paid with an individual nomination. 

From 7 September, candidates using the individual nomination process can lodge their nomination by email to nominations@elections.govt.nz

Nominations may also be lodged in person by appointment with the Returning Officer (Electorate Manager) for the electorate you want to stand in.

Contact your electorate manager.

For further information on becoming a candidate, including the Individual Candidate Nomination Form, and information on how to make the payment, go to the Candidate Hub or freephone 0800 36 76 56.

Ākuanei tuwhera ai ngā tautapanga kaitono mō te pōtitanga

Ka tuwhera ngā tautapanga kaitono mō te Pōtitanga Whānui o 2026 i te Mane, te 7 o Hepetema, ā, ka kati hei te poupoutanga o te Tāite, te 8 o Oketopa. 

E rua ngā momo kaitono:

• Ko ngā kaitono ā-rohe ka tū mō te pōtitanga i ngā rohe pōti, ā, 
• Ko ngā kaitono ā-rārangi i ngā rārangi rōpū tōrangapū o ngā rōpū tōrangapū kua rēhitatia, ka whai tūranga pea mā te pōti ā-rōpū. 

Ko wai e āhei ana te tū hei kaitono

E tū ai tētahi tangata hei kaitono, me mātua rēhita hei kaipōti, me noho hoki hei kirirarau o Aotearoa i mua i te poupoutanga o te rā 8 o Oketopa. 

Me pēwhea te tū hei kaitono

E rua ngā ara e tautapangia ai ngā kaitono ā-rohe:

• Ko te tautapa ngātahi o ngā kaitono katoa o tētahi rōpū tōrangapū kua rēhitatia, mā te hēkeretari o taua rōpū.
• Ko te tautapa takitahi o tētahi kaitono, mā ētahi kaipōti tokorua kua rēhitatia i te rohe pōti e tohea ana.  

Me whai mōhiotanga ngā kaitono o ngā rōpū tōrangapū kua rēhitatia i te hēkeretari o tō rātou rōpū mō te ara tautapanga ka whāia e tō rātou rōpū. Ko te ara ka kōwhiringia e te hēkeretari o te rōpū, koia anake te ara ka wātea ki ngā kaitono.

Ko ngā rōpū kua rēhitatia anake e āhei ana ki te whakatū kaitono ā-rārangi ki tētahi pōtitanga whānui. Ka tāpaetia ngā kaitono ā-rārangi o tētahi rōpū tōrangapū e te hēkeretari o taua rōpū ki Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri.

Ko ngā tautapa takitahi o ngā kaitono ā-rohe

Me whakaoti rawa te puka tautapa takitahi e:

• ngā kaitono motuhake
• ngā kaitono o ngā pāti kāore e rēhitatia ana 
• ngā kaitono o ngā pāti kua rēhitatia, engari kāore e ngātahi ana te tautapanga. 

Me utu te $300 hei moni tāpui i te taha o tētahi tautapa takitahi. 

Atu i te 7 o Hepetema, ka wātea ngā kaitono e whai ana i te tukanga tautapa takitahi ki te tāpae i ō rātou tautapanga mā te īmēra ki nominations@elections.govt.nz

Ka wātea hoki ki te tāpae ā-tinana i ngā tautapanga, mā te whakarite hui ki te taha o te Returning Officer (arā ko te Kaiwhakahaere Rohe Pōti) o te rohe pōti e hia tū nei te kaitono. 

Whakapā atu ki tō kaiwhakahaere rohe pōti (Returning Officer)

E whāia ai ētahi atu mōhiohio mō te tū hei kaitono, tae atu ki te puka tautapa kaitono takitahi (arā te Individual Candidate Nomination Form), me ngā kōrero mō te tuku i te utu, me toro atu ki te Candidate Hub me waea utukore mai rānei ki 0800 36 76 56.