Pursuant to section 18 of the New Zealand Flag Referendums Act 2015 and section 14(2) of the Referenda (Postal Voting) Act 2000, the Electoral Commission gives the following notice.

N o t i c e

1. Title—This notice is the Referenda (Closing of Preliminary Referendum Rolls) Notice 2015.

2. Date for closing of preliminary referendum rolls—The date appointed for the closing of the preliminary referendum rolls is 18 September 2015.

Dated at Wellington this 10th day of September 2015.

ROBERT PEDEN, Electoral Commissioner.

Explanatory Note

This note is not part of the notice, but is intended to indicate its general effect.

The preliminary referendum rolls have to be printed for each electoral district in preparation for the forthcoming referendums on the New Zealand flag. There will be two postal referendums to be held to enable electors to decide whether New Zealand should have a new flag. The first referendum will be starting on 20 November 2015 and ending on 11 December 2015. In this referendum voters will be asked which of four alternative flags is preferred by voters, using optional preferential voting (voters rank flags, but are not required to rank all flags for their vote to count).

The second referendum will be starting on 3 March 2016 and ending on 24 March 2016. In this referendum voters will be asked to choose between the current flag and the most preferred flag from the first referendum.

The preliminary referendum rolls list electors who are enrolled on a date appointed for the closing of the rolls. This notice appoints 18 September 2015 as that date. The rolls will be printed as soon as practicable after that date and will then be available for public inspection. This is not the last date that electors can enrol to take part in the referendums. Electors enrolled before the start of the voting period for each of the referendums will be eligible to vote.