Board Elections
Ngā pōtitanga poariopen_in_new
School board elections have the second largest number of candidates and voters of any democratic process in New Zealand!
(The largest is the general government election.)
The scale of school board elections is due to every state and state-integrated school in the country holding simultaneous elections for parent and staff representative positions every three years.
Some also hold student representative elections annually and mid-term elections every 18 months.
Schedule 23open_in_new of the Education and Training Act 2020 and the Education (Board Elections) Regulations 2022open_in_new cover school board elections, but we’re unpacking them here in this article.
What types of elections are there?
There are four types of elections; the structure and constitution of your board determine the number of positions available.
Triennial elections
All schools hold these elections every three years to elect the parent and staff representative representatives on their board.
Staggered (mid-term) elections
Some boards opt into the staggered (mid-term) election cycle.
This enables a board to have half the number of its parent representatives elected in a triennial election year and the remainder at a mid-term election held 18 months later.
If a board has an odd number of representatives, the majority half are elected in the triennial and the remainder in the mid-terms.
Student representative elections
All schools with students above Year 9 must hold a student representative election in September each year (unless their board has an approved alternate constitution that provides otherwise).
By-elections
When an elected board member resigns or can no longer be on the board for another reason, a “casual vacancy” occurs.
A by-election must be held if the casual vacancy is for a staff or student representative position.
If it is for a parent representative, the board may hold a by-election or fill the position via another method.
How do elections work?
All elections follow the same general principles.
The key difference is who can nominate, stand as a candidate, and vote.
The timeframe for elections is:
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63 days for all parent elections
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63 days for staff elections held at the time of triennial elections
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31 days for staff by-elections
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31 days for all student elections.
Your board sets an election date and appoints a returning officeropen_in_new, recording the details in the meeting minutes.
Your board then gives the returning officer a letter of appointment, confirming their position and fee.
You can use our election planner toolopen_in_new to help you set your election dates.
The returning officer is responsible for running the election, including managing the electoral roll, calling for nominations, issuing voting papers, counting votes, and declaring the result.
Some boards appoint a school staff member to run the process, and others appoint a third party to do this on their behalf.
Anyone who intends to stand as a candidate cannot be the returning officer for that election.
Under the Education (Board Elections) Regulations 2022open_in_new, schools can now choose to run their board elections online.
Schools cannot run electronic voting electionsopen_in_new, other than for student elections, without appointing an accredited external provider as the returning officer.
Before the election is underway, your board needs to promote the election and encourage as many people as possible to put their hands up.
You could consider appointing an election organiseropen_in_new to run the promotional side of things (your returning officer cannot do this).
Check out all our promotional resources open_in_newto help promote your elections.
Who can stand for election?
Just about anyone!
All potential candidates must meet the eligibility criteria open_in_newfor becoming a board member.
When elected members sign the nomination form, they indicate they have met these criteria and are eligible to be board members.
They must also meet the requirements of the position they’re standing for.
For example, someone standing for the role of parent representative does not have to be a parent or have children at the school or kura, but someone on the parent representative electoral roll must nominate them.
Note: anyone with a Schedule 2open_in_new offence under the Children’s Act 2014 is ineligible to be on a school board unless they have an exemption.
Affected people can apply to have an exemption granted by the Secretary for Education. For more information, email boardmember.exemptions@education.govt.nz
What happens after the election?
After the election, your returning officer will submit the candidate and election results to the Ministry of Education using the School Board Updatesopen_in_new form.
You’ll need to update your board member registeropen_in_new and any committee membership or delegations affected by the change.
All new board members should undergo an induction programme to help them get up to speed in their new role.
Where can you go for help with elections?
We work in partnership with the Ministry of Education to support you in running your school board elections and promoting community engagement and participation.
Our school board elections websiteopen_in_new contains all the information, tools, and promotional material you need to run your elections.
Contact us if your board or returning officer needs one-on-one support.
Questions your board could ask
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Have we set our election date?
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Have we appointed our returning officer?
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Have we planned out how we will promote the election?
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Has our returning officer submitted everything to the Ministry?
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Have we updated our board member register and the School Board Updates form?
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Have we planned our induction programme for our new board member(s)?
Templates, resources, and references
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