A call to action for friends of overseas New Zealanders


Aotearoa New Zealand goes to the polls on November 7 and Aotearoa Greens Global are asking for your help to spread the word about important changes that the current right-wing government have made to the democratic process.

We are concerned that this change could disenfranchise a great many New Zealanders overseas who may not be paying close attention to the minutiae of electoral law changes so we are asking for your help to spread the word.

Previously, you could enrol and vote on the same day. New Zealanders now need to make sure they are enrolled by midnight (NZT) Sunday October 25.  Citizens over the age of 18 who have been home within the last three years are eligible to vote. Please talk to your NZ friends, whānau (family), and workmates and make sure they have gone to vote.nz to check their enrolment details are up-to-date. 

Overseas voters must download their voting papers from vote.nz, complete them, and upload them online. Completed votes must be received by 7pm NZT on Saturday November 7.

Three things you can do this week:

  1. Check your own enrolment at vote.nz. Even if you've voted before, confirm your details are current.
  2. Forward this to New Zealand friends, whānau and workmates overseas.
  3. Follow and share Aotearoa Greens Global's updates: @nzgreensglobal 

 

Green Party envisions a better Aotearoa for all of us

The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is unique in the political landscape as the only party with a dedicated policy for Overseas New Zealanders. In this year’s election manifesto we affirm our commitment to ensuring all New Zealanders living overseas can feel connected to home. 

Over the last three years, Aotearoa Greens Global (our network for overseas New Zealanders) campaigned on extending citizenship rights to Māori born overseas, shed light on the broken and inequitable student loan interest scheme for overseas New Zealanders, and pushed to extend the three-year window that cuts off voting rights for overseas citizens who haven't been able to get back to NZ recently.

In 2025 we surveyed over 400 New Zealanders in 23 countries, 78% did not think they were making meaningful progress on repaying their student loan and 82% were worried or extremely worried about their student loan at home. We thank those people for telling us their stories. Read the report here.

The system is not working for anyone and needs reform. We have asked for a cross-party enquiry to be opened to investigate this issue, with the voices of overseas-based New Zealanders included. This request was denied, and the National Party has now committed to baking in even more inequity by raising interest even further (under the current Government interest has risen from 2.8% to 5.4% and they have signalled a further raise to 6.6%) and promising easier arrest warrants at the border for people with bad debts. 

“The National Government is happy to use our overseas whānau as a scapegoat for their financial mismanagement. The Green Party will ensure that New Zealanders are incentivised to come home by creating an Aotearoa that has enough for all of us,” says Green Party spokesperson for Overseas New Zealanders Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan, MP.

The Green Party will: 

  • Reduce and re-balance student loan repayments and interest rates for overseas student loan borrowers, extend the repayment holiday for overseas  borrowers, and abolish border arrests for student loan repayment violations. (Overseas New Zealanders Policy)
  • Reduce student loan repayments and work towards fees-free tertiary education  and a student debt write-off. (Tertiary Education Policy)

The Green Party has a vision for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi, where power and wealth sit with our communities, and where people and the rest of nature thrive together.


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