Citizens-only voting — restrict the vote to NZ citizens
NZ First leader Winston Peters announced at a campaign meeting in Warkworth on 5 July 2026 that the party would seek to change electoral law so that only New Zealand citizens can vote in parliamentary elections. Under current rules, permanent residents and many people on work or study visas can vote once they have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more. Peters said voting should be a privilege reserved for those who have sworn allegiance to New Zealand, and described the current 12-month residency standard as too lenient. The change would remove voting rights currently held by non-citizen residents.
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Key milestones
NZ First pledges citizens-only voting
Winston Peters announced at a Warkworth campaign meeting that NZ First would restrict voting in parliamentary elections to New Zealand citizens, removing eligibility currently held by permanent residents and many people on work or study visas who have lived in the country for 12 months or more. Peters said voting should be a privilege for those who have sworn allegiance to New Zealand.
Sources
- 1News — NZ First announces policy to restrict voting to citizens only ↗
- RNZ — NZ First announces policy to restrict voting to citizens only ↗
- NZ Herald — Election 2026: Winston Peters announces citizens-only voting policy ↗