On 14 August 2025, the Len Reynolds Trust made a submission to Parliament on the Electoral Amendment Bill.
As a philanthropic trust based in the Waikato, our vision is a region where all children and young people are secure, resilient, and thriving. We work closely with Māori and rural communities, focusing on equity, whānau and tamariki wellbeing, and dismantling systemic barriers. Our strategy commits us to:
Upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Challenging inequities and systemic biases.
Practising empathy, manaakitanga, and partnership.
Advocating for systems that are inclusive and community-driven.
The Bill, as currently drafted, moves Aotearoa in the opposite direction. It creates more barriers to participation, disproportionately impacts those already marginalised, and risks further eroding trust in democratic processes.
Our Key Concerns
Ending Same-Day and Election-Day Enrolment
Removing the ability to enrol and vote on the same day will disenfranchise those least likely to be on the roll - rangatahi, Māori, rural residents, transient workers, and people experiencing housing insecurity. From our work, we know these communities face real barriers to early enrolment, from limited postal access to unstable addresses.
Blanket Ban on Prisoner Voting
Reinstating a complete ban on prisoner voting – regardless of sentence length - strips away a fundamental civic right from Māori, a group already overrepresented in prison statistics, compounding inequity and systemic disadvantage. This undermines rehabilitation and entrenches disconnection.
Restricting Community Engagement at Polling Stations (“Treating”)
Extending bans to acts like offering free food or drink near polling places risks erasing culturally grounded expressions of manaakitanga, particularly in rural and Māori contexts where hospitality is central to civic life.
Raising the Anonymous Donation Threshold
Increasing the threshold for anonymous political donations reduces transparency and weakens public trust — contrary to our values of accountability and openness.
Our Recommendations
We call on the Committee to:
Maintain same-day enrolment or significantly shorten any cut-off period.
Protect prisoner voting rights, at least for short sentences, and align with Te Tiriti and rehabilitation principles.
Review “treating” provisions to ensure cultural expressions of manaakitanga are not criminalised.
Maintain or lower the anonymous donation threshold to safeguard transparency.
Conclusion
This Bill risks silencing Māori, rural, young, and marginalised voices, with long-term consequences for social cohesion and democratic legitimacy. True electoral reform should strengthen both integrity and inclusion - not trade one off against the other.
Submissions are open until 11 September 2025.
We encourage individuals, community groups, and organisations to have their say.
You can read our full submission by clicking on the link below.