Discover the Stories Hidden in New Zealand's Electoral Rolls

Have you ever wondered where your ancestors lived or what they did for work? Electoral rolls can help answer those questions and are one of the most valuable resources for anyone researching family history.

An electoral roll is a record of people enrolled to vote in New Zealand and everyone who is eligible to vote must enrol. The published rolls record each person's name, address, occupation if provided,  and electoral district. For family historians, electoral rolls are especially valuable because historical census records for individuals are not available in New Zealand. By following someone through successive rolls, you can trace where they lived over time, see when they moved to a new area and build a clearer picture of their life.

The history of voting in New Zealand is reflected in the rolls themselves. When the first national election was held in 1853, only male British subjects aged 21 or older who owned property could vote. Māori gained the right to vote in 1867 without the property ownership requirement, and New Zealand became the first country to grant women the right to vote in 1893. After women gained the vote, husbands, wives and their adult children often appeared together on the same electoral roll, making these records an even richer source for family history research.

Hamilton City Libraries holds an extensive collection of historical electoral rolls. Early rolls dating from 1853 are available on microfiche, while printed electoral rolls from 1984 onwards can be viewed at Central Library on Level 3. The collection also includes supplementary rolls and corrections, which can provide additional clues for researchers. Library visitors can also access Ancestry Library Edition while in the library. This resource includes more than 20 million indexed names from New Zealand electoral rolls spanning 1853 to 2010, allowing you to search by name, year or electoral district.

Whether you are exploring your whakapapa, building a family tree or simply curious about the past, electoral rolls are an excellent place to begin. Visit Central Library and discover what these fascinating records can reveal. 

Image: Wales Family at unknown beach

Reference: HCL_09838