Wellington: New Zealand will review its electoral laws to ensure the rules remain fit for purpose and “meet the needs of the next generation of voters” ahead of the 2023 general election.
“Much has changed since the 1950s but most of our electoral rules haven’t. We want to make election rules clearer and fairer to build more trust in the system and better support people to exercise their right to vote,” Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said in a statement on Tuesday.
The government is taking two approaches, namely an independent review of New Zealand’s electoral law and targeted changes to support the delivery of, and participation in the 2023 general election, he said.
The independent review will look at election rules such as voting age and overseas voting, funding of political parties, and the length of the parliamentary term, among others.
Some targeted changes include improving the transparency of political donations to make it easier to see where the money is coming from, said the minister.
