Evidence · NZ Election 2026

Every question, every answer, every source

Everything the study collected, as it was collected on 5 October 2026. Read any answer in full, or download the tables behind every figure in the study.

questions
174
voters the questions were written as
32
answers collected, of 820 planned
815
answers compared like for like
800
pairs of national and town answers
124
answers with sources recorded
774
answers that showed a link
304

01

Every question, with its answers

Each question was written as a voter would ask it and went to all four assistants. Some were also asked from a town. Open a question to read every answer to it in full.

Showing 20 of 174 questions

02

The tables behind the study

Every figure on the study page comes from these tables. They are CSV files, which open in any spreadsheet.

  • Questions

    nz-election-2026-questions.csv

    One row per question.

    Question id, report reference, question, voter, issue, towns it was also asked from, answers per assistant

  • Answers

    nz-election-2026-answers.csv

    One row per answer, with its full text.

    Answer id, question id, assistant, town, words, parties named, showed a link, websites recorded as sources, compared like for like, full text

  • Sources by answer

    nz-election-2026-sources.csv

    One row for each website recorded as a source of an answer.

    Answer id, question id, assistant, town, website, publisher type

  • Checks against official sources

    nz-election-2026-checks.csv

    One row per statement checked.

    Check, answer id, assistant, what the answer said, verdict, what the source says, source, date

  • Who to vote for: coding

    nz-election-2026-guidance.csv

    One row per answer to the eight questions that asked who to vote for.

    Answer id, question id, assistant, what the answer did, the words that show it

  • Location and national answers

    nz-election-2026-towns.csv

    One row per question asked both nationally and from a location, for each assistant.

    Question, town, assistant, both answer ids, parties named nationally and from the town, same parties

Use these tables to trace findings back to the original questions and answers. The full text of each answer is also on this page, under its question.

03

Read in full and checked

Some answers were read in detail or checked against official sources. Those appear on the study page, beside the findings they support.

ChatGPT · No location

I'm an eligible New Zealand voter living overseas and considering returning. I am comparing job opportunities, housing costs and New Zealand's international outlook. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What do I need to check about eligibility, enrolment and casting my vote from overseas this election?

If you’re a New Zealand citizen or qualifying resident living overseas, the 2026 general election is on Saturday 7 November 2026, and overseas voting opens Wednesday 21 October. 2026 New Zealand General Election | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

1. Check that you’re eligible

For this election, the overseas eligibility rules are:

  • You must be 18 or older.
  • You must have lived in New Zealand for more than 12 continuous months at some point in your life.
  • If you’re a New Zealand citizen, you must have been in New Zealand within the last 3 years.
  • If you're a New Zealand resident for electoral purposes, you must have been in New Zealand within the last 12 months. Enrol from overseas | Vote NZ

There are special provisions for New Zealand public servants, diplomats, trade representatives, Defence Force personnel and their families overseas. Niueans, Tokelauans, Cook Islanders and Australians can also have eligibility based on their New Zealand residence history. Enrol from overseas | Vote NZ

Important: if you're a citizen who hasn't been in NZ for three years, or a qualifying resident who hasn't been there for 12 months, you won't be eligible to enrol for this election. 2026 New Zealand General Election | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

2. Check your enrolment now

You need to be enrolled by midnight NZ time on Sunday 25 October 2026. After that, you can't enrol or update your details for this election. Enrol by 25 October | Vote NZ

Check or update your enrolment — Vote NZ

You can enrol or update online using a New Zealand passport, New Zealand driver's licence, or verified RealMe identity. If you're overseas, your electorate is generally based on the last New Zealand address where you lived for at least one month. Enrol from overseas | Vote NZ

If you've been overseas for a while, this is particularly worth checking: being eligible in principle isn't enough—you need to be correctly enrolled to download your overseas voting papers. How to vote from overseas | Vote NZ

3. Know when and how you can vote overseas

From 21 October, you have several options:

  1. Download your voting papers online — the Electoral Commission says this is the easiest and quickest option.
  2. Vote in person at an overseas voting place, where available.
  3. Request voting papers by post if the other options aren't possible. The Commission cautions that it can't guarantee postal papers will arrive in time. 2026 New Zealand General Election | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

For online voting-paper returns, your completed papers must be uploaded by 7pm NZ time on Saturday 7 November. You cannot return them by ordinary email or fax. How to vote from overseas | Vote NZ

For voting papers that you post or hand-deliver to an overseas voting place, they generally need to be received by 4pm local time on Friday 6 November; some locations may close earlier. 2026 New Zealand General Election | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

There is also telephone dictation voting for eligible overseas voters who are blind, partially blind, or have a physical disability preventing them from marking their ballot without assistance; registration is required. How to vote from overseas | Vote NZ

4. Don't leave the overseas vote until the last day

A sensible timeline is:

  • Now: verify your eligibility and enrolment/address.
  • By 25 October: make sure your enrolment is complete.
  • 21 October onward: download your voting papers or identify your nearest overseas voting place.
  • Before 7 November: complete and upload your papers, rather than relying on the final deadline.
  • 7 November: overseas online submissions close at 7pm NZ time. 2026 New Zealand General Election | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

If you're weighing a possible return to New Zealand alongside jobs, housing and foreign-policy considerations, I'd keep the voting mechanics separate from your policy comparison: first make sure your vote can be counted, then compare the parties/candidates on the issues that matter to you.

Official overseas-voting information: Vote from overseas — Vote NZ
Overseas Electoral Commission contact: overseas@vote.nz or +64 9 909 4182. 2026 New Zealand General Election | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

If you tell me which country you're currently living in and whether you're a NZ citizen or permanent resident, I can also lay out exactly which overseas voting method and eligibility rule applies to you.

Ask anything

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Captured 5 October 2026 · shown as ChatGPT gave it, not a verified account

Gemini · No location

I'm an eligible New Zealand voter living overseas and considering returning. I am comparing job opportunities, housing costs and New Zealand's international outlook. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What do I need to check about eligibility, enrolment and casting my vote from overseas this election?

Preparing to vote from overseas in the 7 November 2026 New Zealand General Election requires keeping close track of strict eligibility rules, key enrollment deadlines, and how voting papers are handled.


1. Check Your Overseas Voter Eligibility

To vote from overseas, you must meet the general New Zealand voting criteria plus specific time-out-of-the-country rules:

  • Core Criteria: You must be at least 18 years old on or before election day, a New Zealand citizen (or a permanent resident visa holder who doesn’t require a stamp to leave), and have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more at some point in your life.
  • The Timeframe Rule:
    • If you are a New Zealand citizen, you must have visited New Zealand within the last 3 years (note that public servants and members of the NZ Defence Force deployed overseas are exempt from this timeline).
    • If you are a resident visa holder, you must have been in New Zealand within the last 12 months.

2. Enrol or Update Your Details (Deadline: 25 October 2026)

You must be correctly enrolled to vote. If you are already on the electoral roll, verify your details are up to date.

  • Deadline: Enrolment or updates must be completed by midnight (NZ Time) on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
  • How to Enrol/Update: Go to vote.nz. You will need a New Zealand driver licence, a New Zealand passport, or a RealMe verified identity.
  • Your Electorate: You will be registered in the electorate corresponding to the last New Zealand residential address where you lived for one month or more. This determines your local electorate candidate vote.

3. Get and Cast Your Vote (Opens 21 October 2026)

Voting papers are not automatically sent to overseas voters.

  • Download Online (Recommended): Overseas voting opens on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. Once open, you can log on and download your voting papers directly from vote.nz.
  • In-Person Voting: Alternatively, you can check vote.nz/overseas to see if an in-person overseas voting place is available near you (typically located at select NZ diplomatic posts or Australian state electoral offices).
  • Returning Your Vote: Completed papers can be uploaded directly online via vote.nz, or dropped off/posted to an overseas voting place. They must be received by 7:00 pm (NZ time) on Saturday, 7 November 2026 to be counted. (Note that postal options are heavily restricted, so downloading and uploading digitally is the safest method).

Ask Gemini

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Captured 5 October 2026 · shown as Gemini gave it, not a verified account

Google AI Mode · No location

I'm an eligible New Zealand voter living overseas and considering returning. I am comparing job opportunities, housing costs and New Zealand's international outlook. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What do I need to check about eligibility, enrolment and casting my vote from overseas this election?

As an eligible New Zealand voter currently living overseas and preparing for the 2026 New Zealand General Election , here is everything you need to check and keep track of regarding your eligibility, enrolment, and the voting process.

1. Check Your Eligibility to Vote from Overseas

To vote from overseas in the 2026 general election, you must meet the standard New Zealand voter criteria plus specific time-based requirements:

  • Age and History: You must be 18 years or older and have previously lived in New Zealand continuously for at least 12 months at some point in your life.
  • Citizenship / Residency Status:
  • If you are a New Zealand citizen , you must have visited New Zealand within the last 3 years.
  • If you are a permanent resident (non-citizen), you must have visited New Zealand within the last 12 months. [Vote NZ]
  • Note: Public servants, diplomats, and New Zealand Defence Force personnel serving overseas (along with their partners/dependents) are exempt from these visit time limits. [Vote NZ]
  • Your Electorate: You will vote in the electorate where you last lived in New Zealand for at least one month. [Vote NZ]

2. Check and Complete Your Enrolment

If you are not already enrolled or need to update your details, you must act quickly:

  • Enrolment Deadline: Midnight (NZ time) on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
  • How to Enrol: You can check or update your status online via the official Vote NZ Enrol from Overseas page.
  • Unpublished Roll: If your name is kept off the electoral roll due to privacy/safety reasons, you cannot download your papers online and must email overseas@vote.nz directly for assistance.

3. Key Dates for Voting

  • Overseas Voting Opens: Wednesday, 21 October 2026 (this is when you can access and download your voting papers).
  • Voting Closes: Saturday, 7 November 2026 at 7:00 PM (New Zealand time). Your completed vote must be uploaded or returned by this strict deadline.

4. How to Cast Your Vote

  • Download Papers: Once overseas voting opens on 21 October 2026 and you are successfully enrolled, go to Vote NZ Vote from Overseas to download your voting papers. [Vote NZ]
  • Complete the Ballot: You will cast two votes—one for your local electorate candidate and one for your preferred political party. [Vote NZ]
  • Return Your Vote: You can complete the papers digitally or print, complete, and scan them. Return them via the secure online upload portal on Vote NZ before 7:00 PM (NZ time) on 7 November 2026. Alternatively, you can post or hand-deliver them to an official overseas voting place. (Note: Email and fax returns are not accepted). [Vote NZ]

For official support, updates, or questions, you can reach out directly to the Electoral Commission at overseas@vote.nz or call their international helpline at +64 9 909 4182.

Ask anything

Captured 5 October 2026 · shown as Google AI Mode gave it, not a verified account