New Zealand, Maori Voter and Electoral Rolls, 1908 & 1919

Māori voter rolls for 1908 and Māori electoral rolls for 1919 are contained in this database. Those listed in the voter rolls are men and women of half or more Māori descent over 21 years of age. Because it was not compulsory for Māori to register before the 1908 election, this roll is a list of those who voted rather than those who registered as electors. In 1919 electoral rolls were compiled prior to the election to determine the names of all eligible individuals. Before 1919, the only Māori voter rolls to have survived are those of 1908 for the Northern, Western, and Eastern districts.*

Persons with exactly half Māori descent could choose whether they enrolled under the Māori or European system. Those with less than half Māori descent were recorded on the European rolls. Surnames were generally unknown until European settlement. If a European surname was taken it could be recorded either in the European spelling or in a transliterated Māori version (such as Dickson - Rikihana, Stephens - Tipene, Webster - Wepiha).

Like Australia there are no national census records available for New Zealand, making these records the best alternative to a national index. The compulsory regulation of 1925 requiring all eligible voters to register and the publication of electoral rolls on a fairly consistent basis (generally country-wide) make electoral rolls useful for tracking individuals over time and place. See Special Notes below for information on electorate divisions.

Information in this index:

• Voter name
• Tribe
• Sub tribe or hapu
• Address
• Gender

*The 1908 Māori voter rolls do not include rolls for the Southern Māori district because they have never been found and are not available in the Parliamentary Library. Also, voting is not compulsory and enrollment did not become required until 1925; consequently, this database does not provide a complete index of Māori individuals eligible to vote.

Special Notes

The Electorates are as follows:

• Eastern Māori (East Cape and Hawke's Bay regions and parts of Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Manawatu-Wanganui, and Wellington regions)
• Western Māori (Taranaki region and parts of Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Manawatu-Wanganui, and Wellington regions)
• Northern Māori (Auckland and Northland regions)