Asian New Zealanders attend a community meeting featuring leaders from the four main political parties on 10 September. Photo: RNZ / Duoya Lu
The Electoral Commission is urging Asian New Zealanders to get more involved in the upcoming election after a survey showed they had lower levels of participation in the 2020 poll.
The report showed that people of Asian ethnicity (16 percent) were more likely to have a "poor" or "very poor" understanding of the voting process compared to non-Asians (9 percent).
Asian New Zealanders were less confident that elections in New Zealand are free from influence, although they were more likely to be motivated by a desire to "make a change" when voting, the report said.
Asian New Zealanders were also less likely to read the contents of the EasyVote pack, the report said. These residents expressed less satisfaction with voting instructions, and often struggled to find the name of the person or party on ballot papers.
Asian New Zealanders were less likely to watch television ads or read pamphlets about the electoral process and were more likely to notice advertising from signs and bus shelters.
The report showed that Asian New Zealanders were more likely to ask someone they knew for additional voting information, whereas those of European ethnicity were more likely to seek out such information on the internet.
It also showed Asian New Zealanders were more likely to find the location of ballot boxes by physically passing a designated site as opposed to coming across this information via the internet, local newspapers and other advertising channels.
Compared to 2017, Asian New Zealanders generally reported a significant increase in satisfaction about the ease of voting.
The report showed that Asian New Zealanders were more likely to submit a special vote compared to voting in person and were also more likely to have cast their ballot at a voting site that was different from the previous election having since changed address.
An Electoral Commission spokesperson said it had been working with Asian community groups and leaders, including attending community events, to ensure people who needed extra help were able to participate in this year's election.
"In addition to our community engagement and our nationwide awareness campaign, we run campaigns in multiple languages across ethnic media outlets, including those that support Chinese, Indian, Korean and Filipino audiences," the spokesperson said. "We also have language-specific posters in a range of often visited places such as Chinese grocers and community centres, Indian specialty shops, temples, community centres and Korean specialty markets."
The spokesperson said the commission's website is providing voting-related information and resources in 28 languages, including Chinese, Korean and Hindi. Visitors to the site were also encouraged to enrol and vote.
"If you haven't enrolled, it's not too late. You can enrol and vote at the same time at any voting place. If you need assistance, including help with English, you can bring a family member or other support person with you," the spokesperson said. "If any community leaders or groups need additional support, we encourage them to contact the Electoral Commission on 0800-367-656."
