Process for and effect of exercise of Māori option

How option is exercised 1 A person may exercise the Māori option by indicating their choice,— a in writing, by completing and signing a form that the Electoral Commission has approved and returning it to the Electoral Commission: b in an approved electronic medium, by providing the required information: c in an application for registration as an elector. Receipt of late or non-compliant form or application 2 If a form or an application described in subsection (1)(a) or (c) is received by the Electoral Commission by post after the start of any election period and it complies with the requirements in subsection (3), that form or application is to be treated as having been received before the start of the election period and the elector must, if the form or application is otherwise in order, be treated as having exercised the Māori option. 3 The requirements for a form or an application are the following: a it must be received no later than noon on the fourth day after the start of an election period; and b it must be postmarked or date-stamped before the start of an election period. 4 If a form or an application described in subsection (1)(a) or (c) is received by the Electoral Commission by post before the start of any election period but that form or application does not comply with the requirements for signing and dating, the Electoral Commission may treat the notice as being in accordance with those requirements if the non-compliance is remedied not later than 6 days after the start of the election period. Representatives may act on behalf of some persons 5 A person who is outside New Zealand or who has a physical or mental impairment may exercise the Māori option through a representative and section 86 applies with any necessary modifications. Effect of exercise of option 6 The exercise of the Māori option (if not made in an application under section 83 ) is to be treated as an application for registration as an elector for the purposes of— a the definition of electoral roll in section 3(1) ; and b sections 89 , 89A , 98 , and 103 . 7 In this section, election period means— a a general election period ( see section 78A(4) ); or b a local government election period ( see section 78B(4) ); or c a by-election period ( see section 78C(6) ). Section 78 : replaced , on 31 March 2023 , by section 6 of the Electoral (Māori Electoral Option) Legislation Act 2022 (2022 No 62).