The next general election will be held on Saturday 7 November 2026.
The Prime Minister is responsible for announcing the date of a general election. The timetable is set in accordance with the Electoral Act 1993.
The following table includes key dates for candidates for the 2026 General Election.
| 21 January | Prime Minister announces date for the 2026 General Election |
| 7 August | Regulated period for election advertising expenses begins |
| 5 September | Electoral hoardings up to 3 square metres can go up, subject to local authority rules about location. You can have larger signs or put up signs earlier subject to local council rules |
| 7 September | Candidate nominations open |
| 1 October | Dissolution of Parliament - the official end of the parliamentary term |
| 4 October | Writ day - the Governor General issues formal direction to the Electoral Commission to hold the election Voters enrolled by writ day will be sent an EasyVote card by email or post and can cast an ordinary vote You can start advertising for your candidacy on TV and radio from writ day |
| Noon, 8 October | Nomination day - deadline or party secretaries to get their bulk nomination schedules and party lists to us and the deadline for candidates using the individual nomination process to get their nomination forms and deposits to us |
| 21 October | Overseas voting starts |
| 25 October | Last day to enrol to vote in the election |
| 26 October | Advance voting starts No campaigning within 10 metres of advance voting places You can't give away free food, drink or entertainment within 100 metres of the entrance to a voting place |
| 6 November | Advance voting ends Regulated period ends - last day campaigning is allowed and signs must be taken down by midnight |
| 7 November | Election day. Voting places open from 9.00am to 7.00pm Election night. Preliminary election results released progressively from 7.00pm on electionresults.govt.nz |
| 27 November | Official results for the 2026 General Election declared |
| 3 December | Last day for the return of the writ (subject to any recounts) |
| 14 January 2027 | Last day for Parliament to meet |
| 9 March 2027 | Deadline for returns of candidates election expenses, donations and loans |