Working out how many electorates there should be

To get the data needed for the 2019/2020 boundary review, the Government Statistician worked out how many Māori and general electorates there should be for the 2020 and 2023 general elections. They also worked out the population quotas – how many people should be in each electorate.

 For the 2020 and 2023 elections, the number of:

  • general electorates in the South Island was fixed at 16 
  • general electorates in the North Island increased from 48 to 49 
  • Māori electorates remained unchanged at seven. 

The population quotas in those electorates was:

  • 65,458 people for South Island general electorates
  • 64,899 people for North Island general electorates
  • 67,582 people for the Māori electorates. 

The boundaries of eight South Island general electorates, eleven North Island general electorates and three Māori electorates had to change as there were either too many or too few people living in those areas. 

Find out more about the Government Statistician’s report on the Stats NZ website

The Representation Commission used the Government Statistician’s report to conduct the boundary review.

The next boundary review will take place before the 2026 General Election.

What happens in a boundary review?

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