New Zealand Electoral Rolls

Electoral Rolls were published to give information about voters enrolled for elections. They are a good alternative to a census(of which there are none surviving until 1961 in New Zealand), and are also a way to conduct more recent research as there are no privacy restrictions for more recent records.

They are available at Ancestry ($) at their collection New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981. Note that only small number of the rolls have been indexed, the rest are browse only. There is a spacing of no more than 10 years between each indexed roll. The bottom of the page on the previous link lists the precise years covered and which are indexed.

The Electoral Rolls give name, address and occupation. Be aware that voting rights were not universal until 1893. Only men of property could vote at first. Miners were guaranteed the vote in 1860, all Maori men were given the vote in 1867, all European men in 1879 and all women in 1893. New Zealanders take especial pride in being the first country to give women the vote in parliamentary elections.

The Otago Nominal Indexes  (also known as ONI)  include the Electoral Rolls and Street Directories for Otago and Southland. from 1840-1876, and will be added to as the work progresses.

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