There is a review process in NZ Election law, most of which is irrelevant to this forum. However, there is one area that impacts on historians and genealogists alike. Chapter 16, in a series of recommendations, wants to turn the Electoral Rolls into a totally private document. At the moment, it contains a voters full name, address and occupation as at a certain date in every three year electoral cycle. Currently these are available in print form in every public library, and in historical bulk at the larger ones. The data is also available to purchase in digital form, so marketeers can get it, but so also can some of the genealogical sites. Ancestry currently have records from 1853 to 2010, but this proposal would stop this continuing. So currently when I search my name on ancestry, it provides 7 valid addresses for me over my voting life.
I have made a submission against these proposals and I encourage all people with an interest in New Zealand genealogy to think about the implications for your future research.
