Australia Will Decide The New Zealand Election

New overseas voting drive invites New Zealanders living in Australia to decide the outcome of the 2023 election.

New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the vote in 1893, and now they’re the first to give Australia the vote in 2023 (kind of), according to a nonpartisan organisation that encourages overseas voter participation called Every Kiwi Vote Counts is focusing on boosting voter turn-out from Australia.

Overseas voting for the 2023 General Election opens Wednesday 27 September. Every Kiwi Vote Count has launched a tongue-in-cheek social campaign announcing: This Election We’re Letting Australia Decide, to draw attention to the size and impact of the overseas vote this October and urge overseas Kiwi to be a part of it.

Of the estimated one million New Zealanders living overseas, almost 70% of them reside in Australia, which could mean up to half a million votes in the New Zealand election.

Darryl Brown, the brash fictional character who is fronting the voting drive, commented: “Australia has always guided New Zealand. We showed them how to make pavlova, gave them their best music in Crowded House, their best athletes in Phar Lap, and their best actors – like that gladiator bloke.”

“Now, this election, New Zealand could let Australia decide. So, if you’re an Aussie-Kiwi, get out there and vote. It’s easy, because you can do it all on the internet – we probably gave them that too.”

Overseas voting for the 2023 New Zealand General Election can be done online from Wednesday, September 27 to October to Sunday 14 October. There is essential information and direct links to enrol and vote to be found at everykiwivotecounts.nz

“Democracy only works if we are all part of it,” said Tracey Lee, Every Kiwi Vote Counts initiator and director, and a brand strategist, sociologist and return kiwi who has spent 15 years voting overseas.

“This campaign is not about orchestrating turn-out in favour of one party or another, it is simply championing the rights of all New Zealanders to vote and ensuring that we have robust and healthy participation in our government elections.”

“In the past, elections have seen only 1-in-10 overseas New Zealanders vote, which represents a mere 2% of our votes. With roughly one million New Zealanders living overseas, we could have an additional 750,000 New Zealanders who aren’t exercising their democratic right to vote.”

“Overseas voters are especially important this year, it’s going to be a tighter election than we saw in 2020. Both major political parties have new leaders and minor parties are set to hold an unprecedented influence post-election, which means every Kiwi vote really does count. Ultimately, Australian New Zealanders are eight times the size of any one electorate, so we can put the decision in their hands if they exercise their democratic rights.”

The rules around overseas voting have changed this year, to acknowledge the impact of the pandemic, so overseas voters have ‘double the chances’ in 2023. With New Zealand citizen eligibility extended from three years to six years that they have to have been in New Zealand, and from 12 months to four years for permanent residents.

For more information, head to everykiwivotecounts.nz.