Tauranga residents are being encouraged to make sure their enrolment details are up to date ahead of this month's referendum on New Zealand's contentious state-owned asset sales.
Tauranga registrar of electors Lesley Christophers, with one of the referendum pop-up stands ahead of voting on November 22.
In September, House of Representatives clerk Mary Harris declared enough signatures have been gathered to prompt a non-binding citizens-initiated referendum – asking whether New Zealanders support the sale of up to 49 per cent of Meridian, Mighty River Power, Genesis Power, Solid Energy, and Air New Zealand.
The 327,224 valid signatures – 18,500 more than required to initiate the referendum – were collected by the Keep Our Assets coalition, led by Grey Power president Roy Reid and which includes the Labour and Green parties.
'Voting in the referendum is by postal vote, so your address details on the electoral roll need to be correct to receive your voting papers in the mail,” says Electoral Commission chief electoral officer Robert Peden.
The people who most need to make sure they are on the electoral roll are those who have recently moved house or celebrated their 18th birthday.
'If you have turned 18 recently, get enrolled now and vote in the 2013 citizens initiated referendum. You need to be on the roll by November 21 to have your say.”
Voting in the referendum happens between November 22 and December 13 – taking place by post.
'If you're enrolled correctly, you should get your voting paper by Friday, November 29.”
New Zealand is one of three countries internationally – along with Italy and Switzerland – whose laws allow for citizen-initiated referendums nationally under the Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993.
Since being launched in 1993, a total of 33 petitions have been launched on a wide range of topics. Only four have come to a vote – with all other proposals failing to gain enough signatures to force a referendum.
You can check your enrolment details are correct at: www.elections.org.nz, by phoning 0800 36 76 56, or at any NZ Post shop.
2 comments
What a waste of time and money
Posted on 18-11-2013 14:39 | By OAP
Can any one tell me what the point of this referendum is, when the Government is already selling assets, and we all know that they will ignore the results any way? The only way to put a stop to this nonsense is to change the government, and remind our MP's that they were put there to represent and serve the public!!!
@OAP
Posted on 18-11-2013 15:53 | By Sambo Returns
change the government to what????, the other crew basically bankrupted the country through the continuous support of a benefit system, to the point where now 49% of some state owned assets, need to be sold so the country can remain fluid, you cannot have your cake and eat it too, as your mob think you deserve, stop holding your hand out, and possibly this may not need to happen, this country is only just beginning to emerge from Helens rule, through prudent fiscal management, asset sales would not need to occur if some actually stopped being so selfish, and started working towards making the country more productive.
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