As Aotearoa heads towards the November 7 general election, political parties and community organisations are working hard to encourage people to enrol and vote. But after weeks of conversations with voters, Radio Waatea has been asking a different and perhaps more uncomfortable question: why are so many people choosing not to vote at all?
In the 2023 general election, approximately 1.19 million eligible New Zealanders did not cast a vote, based on the figures examined for this analysis, including an estimated 360,000 people who were not enrolled.
Among the 3,688,292 enrolled voters, 829,396 did not participate, representing a non-voter rate of approximately 22.5%.
These are significant numbers. They represent hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who had the opportunity to participate in deciding the country’s political future but did not cast a ballot.
And as the 2026 campaign gathers momentum, the question is whether political parties have done enough to understand why.
The Numbers Tell a Concerning Story
Electoral Commission turnout data from 2023 reveals a clear relationship between age and electoral participation.
The following table illustrates the turnout and non-voter rates across age groups.
Table 1: 2023 General Election – Voter Participation by Age Group
|
Age group
|
Enrolled voters
|
Turnout
|
Did not vote
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
18–24
|
326,998
|
74.17%
|
25.83%
|
|
25–29
|
293,198
|
69.14%
|
30.86%
|
|
30–34
|
339,647
|
70.09%
|
29.91%
|
|
35–39
|
328,322
|
71.35%
|
28.65%
|
|
40–44
|
310,187
|
73.48%
|
26.52%
|
|
45–49
|
295,875
|
76.46%
|
23.54%
|
|
50–54
|
322,933
|
78.87%
|
21.13%
|
|
55–59
|
307,229
|
80.77%
|
19.23%
|
|
60–64
|
306,787
|
83.25%
|
16.75%
|
|
65–69
|
261,696
|
85.31%
|
14.69%
|
|
70+
|
595,420
|
84.94%
|
15.06%
|
Source: 2023 Electoral Commission turnout figures supplied for this analysis. Age-group figures should be checked against the official dataset before publication.
The figures show that younger voters were considerably less likely to participate than older New Zealanders.
Among enrolled voters aged 25 to 29, nearly 31% did not vote. For those aged 30 to 34, the figure was almost 30%, while more than a quarter of enrolled voters aged 18 to 24 stayed away from the ballot box.
Participation generally increased with age, with voters aged 65 to 69 recording turnout of more than 85%.
The figures raise important questions about whether younger New Zealanders feel adequately represented by the political system and whether election campaigns are addressing the issues that matter most to them.
Housing affordability, employment opportunities, student debt, wages and the cost of living are all significant concerns for younger generations.
But the statistics alone cannot explain why individuals chose not to vote.
That requires listening to the people behind the numbers.
Māori Voter Participation Raises Further Questions
The 2023 election figures also reveal significant challenges around Māori electoral participation.
Across both the Māori and general electoral rolls, turnout among enrolled voters of Māori descent was approximately 70.3%, meaning almost three in ten did not vote.
Participation was lower among those registered on the Māori electoral roll, where turnout was approximately 68%.
Among younger Māori voters aged 18 to 29, approximately one in three enrolled voters did not participate.
Table 2: Māori Electoral Participation – 2023 General Election
|
Voter group
|
Turnout
|
Did not vote
|
|---|---|---|
|
All enrolled voters nationally
|
77.51%
|
22.49%
|
|
Voters of Māori descent – both rolls
|
70.3%
|
29.7%
|
|
Voters enrolled on the Māori roll
|
68.0%
|
32.0%
|
|
Māori voters aged 18–29
|
67.4%
|
32.6%
|
Source: Electoral Commission turnout statistics and Māori electoral participation figures supplied for this analysis.
The disparity is particularly significant when comparing Māori electoral participation with the national average.
While approximately 22.5% of all enrolled voters did not vote, the non-voter rate among those of Māori descent was almost 30%.
For those on the Māori roll, the figure was higher again.
These numbers matter because Māori electoral participation directly influences political representation and the attention given to issues affecting whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori communities.
From housing and healthcare to whenua Māori, employment, education and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the decisions made in Parliament have consequences for generations.
Yet a substantial proportion of enrolled Māori voters did not participate in choosing those making those decisions.
The question is why.
Fifty Conversations and a Common Theme
For several weeks, I have been speaking with Māori voters enrolled on both the Māori and general rolls, seeking to understand why some have become reluctant to participate in elections.
I spoke with a group of 50 enrolled voters who expressed little enthusiasm for casting a ballot.
Rather than simply encouraging them to vote, I asked them to explain their thinking.
Their responses were revealing.
Some questioned whether voting actually changed anything.
Others described a sense of frustration with successive governments and political parties that promised change during election campaigns but appeared to deliver little meaningful difference once in office.
A recurring theme was the belief that while individual voters might want change, there were never enough people voting for the same change to make a difference.
Others questioned the honesty and credibility of political messaging.
Several expressed the view that elections frequently presented familiar policies through different political personalities, without substantially changing the circumstances facing their communities.
These were not necessarily people who lacked interest in politics.
Many were concerned about the economy, employment, housing and the direction of the country.
But concern about political decisions had not translated into confidence in the electoral process.
The conversations suggest a distinction worth examining: being disengaged from voting does not necessarily mean being disengaged from the issues affecting your life.
Is Political Trust Becoming the Bigger Problem?
Political parties often focus their voter participation campaigns on practical barriers, including enrolment, access to polling places and awareness of election dates.
Those issues are important.
However, the conversations I conducted suggest another potential barrier: a lack of confidence that voting will produce meaningful change.
Some participants described feeling disconnected from political leaders.
Others questioned whether election promises would be honoured.
For some, the problem was not choosing between parties but believing that any party would make a significant difference to their everyday lives.
These are important observations, although the 50 conversations were informal and cannot be treated as a representative survey of Māori voters or New Zealanders generally.
They do, however, provide an insight into the concerns expressed by people who are reluctant to vote.
They also raise questions about how political parties communicate with communities between elections, rather than simply seeking their support during campaigns.
The Difference Between Promising Change and Delivering It
Every election brings promises of better economic management, improved public services, more affordable housing and stronger communities.
Yet for people who continue to struggle with the cost of living, unemployment, healthcare access or housing insecurity, the gap between political promises and lived experience can become difficult to ignore.
For Māori voters, that gap may also involve questions about the recognition of Te Tiriti, the future of Māori institutions, access to whenua and the ability of whānau to achieve greater economic security.
Political parties have different policies and priorities, and those differences can have significant consequences.
But voters who believe successive governments have failed to improve their circumstances may not always see those differences as sufficient reason to participate.
That is a challenge for parties across the political spectrum.
The Scale of Electoral Non-Participation
The following table brings together the headline figures examined in this analysis.
Table 3: The Missing Voters – 2023 General Election
|
Electoral measure
|
Number
|
|---|---|
|
Total enrolled voters
|
3,688,292
|
|
Enrolled voters who did not vote
|
829,396
|
|
Non-voter rate among enrolled voters
|
22.49%
|
|
Estimated eligible people not enrolled
|
360,000
|
|
Estimated eligible non-participants, including unenrolled
|
1,189,396
|
Note: The 360,000 unenrolled estimate requires further verification against the Electoral Commission’s final 2023 enrolment figures. The combined estimate of approximately 1.19 million should therefore be treated as provisional.
A Different Question for Election 2026
With the November 7 election approaching, much of the public conversation is focused on polling, party leaders, coalition arrangements and which parties might form the next government.
But there is another group whose decisions could have a significant impact on electoral participation: those who are eligible to vote but are considering staying home.
The 2023 figures demonstrate the scale of the challenge.
More than 829,000 enrolled voters did not participate, while a further group of eligible New Zealanders remained outside the electoral roll.
Among Māori, almost three in ten enrolled voters of Māori descent did not cast a ballot.
The challenge is not simply getting people to polling places.
It is understanding why some people have lost confidence in the value of participating.
That means asking whether political parties are listening, whether their policies respond to the concerns of communities and whether voters believe the commitments made during election campaigns will translate into action.
The Missing Million Deserve to Be Heard
The conversations I have conducted do not establish why every non-voter stayed away in 2023, nor do they predict what will happen in November.
But they do suggest that discussions about electoral participation need to go beyond telling people that voting is important.
We need to understand what people believe their vote will achieve, what experiences have shaped their attitudes and what would restore their confidence in the democratic process.
For some, the answer may involve better political accountability. For others, it may mean policies that more directly address the challenges facing their households.
And for others, practical barriers to voting may remain the primary concern.
As Election 2026 approaches, perhaps the most important question is not simply who New Zealanders will vote for, but why so many have decided that voting is no longer worth their time.
Because until we understand the reasons behind that decision, campaigns encouraging people to vote may be missing an important part of the problem.
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