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Midterm School Board Elections 2027
Presiding Member and Principals Update 2
You are receiving this memo as you are registered, with the Ministry of Education, as conducting staggered or midterm elections.
GovHub is committed to supporting boards and schools to deliver successful elections.
Throughout the election period, we will provide regular updates and resources to ensure schools and kura have all the information they need to promote participation in the election and attract candidates from within their school community.
The election process begins in January with the elections taking place in March, so we recommend boards start the planning process now.
The date for Midterm elections has been set by the Minister of Education as March 31, 2027. Note, there is no range of dates for this election.
The schedule of dates is below.
Midterm election schedule 2027
The timeframe for the midterm parent election is 63 days.
This election date requires boards to have everything in place for the start of next year. To achieve this, there are tasks the board needs to do this term.
What the board needs to do
The role of the board with elections is explained in our Elections Handbook on our School Board Elections website.
The board needs to confirm the date of 31 March in their minutes and appoint a returning officer which they also need to minute. This needs to be done this term so they are in place and ready to go for the very beginning of Term 1 next year.
When appointing a returning officer, the board needs to give them a letter of appointment. We have some information about what needs to be included in the letter on our School Board Elections website, as well as a sample letter: Appoint a Returning Officer.
Number of representative positions
The board needs to be clear about the number of positions the returning officer needs to fill in the election. If they are unsure, they can contact GovHub elections team, and we may be able to help.
If you have board members currently on the board who wish to remain on the board, they must step down. They can stand again by being nominated or nominating themselves for a further term. They cannot simply stay on the board.
Providers of electronic voting elections
Schools can have an e-voting election but must use an accredited provider. There are two at the moment and you can find their details on the Ministry of Education's School board elections page. If using an electronic provider, you may not have to issue them with a letter as the will have their own engagement process
When using an e-provider as your returning officer or any external provider bear in mind that it is essential that the school appoints a liaison person from within the school to maintain communication with the provider and to provide them with an accurate electoral roll. See our Election Handbook and the section on our website entitled Using an External Provider.
This liaison person should also be appointed this term and familiarise themselves with the section in our Elections Handbook headed Preparing Main Electoral Roll.
Role of the Retuning Officer
The first job of the returning officer (RO) is to register the election. They do this on our School Board Elections website.
Having done this, they need to familiarise themselves with the role. They can do this using the Quick Guide to Elections and the Elections Handbook.
Contact the NZSBA Elections Team
We're available to help. You can contact us by phone or email:
Ngā mihi,
The GovHub Team
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