If a person wishes to be a candidate for the election, they must be nominated or selected, by either the party they are a member of, or stand as an independent without party support. Either way, the candidate must be New Zealand citizen, who is registered on the electoral roll. Political parties have until the 17th of September to finalise their nominations and party lists, as do independent candidates.
Parliament will be officially dissolved on the 6th of September, when candidates will start advertising in newspaper, on billboards, at community meetings and through all sorts of media, including social, television and radio. They sometimes go door-to-door to meet the citizens of the electorate, hoping a visit will encourage people to vote for them.
On election day, polling stations open at 9 am, to allow the public to vote. These are in schools and halls where booths have been set up for the day to allow everyone to vote in privacy. Voters can visit a polling station to vote until 7 pm. Sometimes community groups set up tables outside the venue to sell fundraising items like cakes and slices to the people going in and out.
Once the polling stations are closed, the votes are counted and results are broadcasts by the media. Most results are known before midnight, and the country has an idea of who has won the general election. Whichever party and parties are able to form a government will become the leaders of New Zealand until 2023.
