General Elections
Electoral Commission guidance
For parliamentary general elections, the Electoral Commission provides information about:
- election sign requirements
- sign size limits
- promoter statements and authorisation requirements
- restrictions that apply during the voting period
- signage near voting places
- election advertising rules
- complaints about election signage
Election signs must include the name and contact details of the person who authorised the sign, as required by electoral legislation. For current promoter statement requirements and other election sign rules, refer to guidance on the Electoral Commission website.
Local signage rules
If you want to put up candidate signs for the elections you need to be aware of the rules we have in place for the Taupō District:
- Election signs can be displayed for a maximum of two months before the date of the election. All signs must be removed by midnight on Friday 6 November 2026.
- A landowner’s consent is needed before a sign can be erected.
- While a site can have signs from multiple candidates, only one candidate sign per site is allowed.
- Signs must be no larger than 3 square metres in size. In practice this means most candidates looking for the largest sign that complies with the rules opt for a sign size of 2.4m x 1.2m but anything smaller is also permissible. For clarity, the maximum size is not 3m2 (metres squared) - which would be 3m x 3m and a total of 9 square metres.
- A V sign (two signs on the same frame) counts as one sign, provided the total area of the signs is no more than 3 square metres.
- All election advertising and campaign material, including signs, must include the candidate’s authorisation statement.
- Council land and reserves are not available for candidate signs.
For any questions about election signage rules in the Taupō District, contact us.
Signage on state highways
State highways are managed by NZ Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
NZTA must approve general election signs that will be placed on or next to state highways. For more information and to request approval for signs on or near a state highway, go to the NZ Transport Agency website.
Complaints about signage
If you see a sign that you think is breaking the rules relating to when, where and how election signs can be displayed, you can let us know about it by emailing info@taupo.govt.nz.
For other complaints, contact the Electoral Commission.
