Everyone
Time off to vote
Employees must be given leave to vote in general elections or by-elections.
What employees are entitled to
An employer must give their employees time off to vote in general (parliamentary) elections on polling day if:
- they are (or are qualified to be) registered as a voter of the district where the election is, and
- they have not had a reasonable opportunity to vote before starting work or in advance of polling day.
The amount of time an employee can have off to vote depends on whether they’re required for essential work or services:
- If an employee does not have to work after 3pm on the polling day for essential work or services, their employer must allow them to leave work by 3pm for the rest of the day without
deductions from their pay.Money an employer takes out of an employee’s pay. An employer can only make deductions from an employee’s pay if these deductions are required by law, or are reasonable and agreed to in writing by the employee.
- If they’re required to work for essential work or services after 3pm on the polling day, their employer must allow them to leave work for a reasonable time to vote. An employer cannot make deductions from an employee’s pay for the time – up to 2 hours – that they spend off work.
Ship crews
If a ship happens to be in port anywhere in New Zealand at the time of a general election or by-election in that district, the master of the ship must allow crew members who are (or are qualified to be) registered voters, to go ashore to vote, if they ask to. The master cannot stop them without reasonable cause and may be liable for a fine of up to $1000 if they stop crew from going ashore to vote.