Bay of Plenty residents will be pulling voting papers from letterboxes this weekend, asking their opinion on whether the Government should sell up to 49 per cent of five state-owned assets.

More than three million voting papers have been arriving to New Zealand homes from Friday onwards, specifically asking Kiwis ‘Do you support the Government selling up to 49 per cent of Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power, Genesis Power, Solid Energy and Air New Zealand?'

Tauranga registrar of electors Lesley Christophers with forms arriving in Bay letterboxes now, for people to vote in the asset sales referendum.

Residents, who need to be enrolled to vote, can answer ‘yes' or ‘no' to the question – and can only vote by postal vote.

The referendum has come about following 10 per cent of New Zealand's enrolled voters singing a petition to stage this opportunity to ask New Zealanders what they would like to see happen to the country's assets.

In September, House of Representatives clerk Mary Harris declared enough signatures had 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 successful petition was presented to Parliament with 327,224 valid signatures – which is 18,500 more than is required to initiate a referendum - collected by the Keep Our Assets coalition, led by Grey Power president Roy Reid and includes Labour and the Green parties.

Electoral Commission chief electoral officer Robert Peden says voting papers for the referendum have to be posted back no later than Thursday, December 12, for them to arrive in time to be counted.

'This is a postal vote, so once people have ticked the answer they want, they can simply return their paper by post in the envelope provided,” says Robert.

'Everyone's voting papers should arrive by November 29.”

'If you are on the electoral roll and don't get a voting pack, you can request a replacement voting paper at: www.elections.org.nz”

Voting closes on December 13, with preliminary results to be announced after 7pm on this day. Official results will be announced December 17 at about 5pm.

The results of the referendum are not binding but do intend to indicate the views held by voters on specific questions.

New Zealand is one of three countries internationally – along with Italy and Switzerland – which lawfully allows 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.

More information about voting in the citizens initiated referendum is available at 0800 36 76 56 and at: www.elections.org.nz