This note is not part of the order, but is intended to indicate its general effect.

This order, which is deemed to have come into force on 1 July 2015, corrects errors in the expenditure limits in the Electoral Act 1993 (the Act). The expenditure limits are adjusted each year on 1 July to reflect the movement between the New Zealand Consumers Price Index (All Groups) (the CPI) for the quarter ending 31 March of the previous year and the CPI for the quarter ending 31 March of the current year. For the March 2014 quarter to the March 2015 quarter, the CPI movement was incorrectly recorded by Statistics New Zealand as approximately 0.0839%. It is now recorded as approximately 0.2517%. This order replaces the expenditure limits in the Act (which are based on a CPI movement of 0.0839%) with expenditure limits that reflect the correct CPI movement of 0.2517%.

The adjustments to the expenditure limits made by this order are as follows:

• the amount of advertising expenses that may be incurred by an unregistered promoter in relation to election advertisements published during any regulated period is increased from $12,500 to $12,600 (section 204B(1)(d) of the Act):

• the total amount of election expenses that may be incurred by a candidate in respect of any regulated period,—

  • for a general election, is unchanged at $26,100 (section 205C(1)(a) of the Act); and

  • for a by-election, is increased from $52,100 to $52,200 (section 205C(1)(b) of the Act):

• the total amount of election expenses that may be incurred by a party in respect of any regulated period, if the party is listed in the party vote part of the ballot paper issued for a general election,—

  • increases from $1,109,000 to $1,111,000 (section 206C(1)(a) of the Act); and

  • is unchanged at $26,100 for each electoral district contested by a candidate for the party (section 206C(1)(b) of the Act):

• the total amount of election expenses that may be incurred by a party in respect of any regulated period, if the party is not listed in the party vote part of the ballot paper issued for a general election, is unchanged at $26,100 for each electoral district contested by a candidate for the party (section 206C(2) of the Act):

• the total amount of election expenses that may be incurred by a registered promoter in respect of any regulated period is unchanged at $313,000 (section 206V(1) of the Act).

In accordance with section 266A(4) of the Act, rounding to the next whole hundred dollars has been applied to the adjusted amounts as follows:

• in section 204B(1)(d) of the Act, $12,512 has been rounded to $12,600:

• in section 205C(1)(a) of the Act, $26,069 has been rounded to $26,100:

• in section 205C(1)(b) of the Act, $52,137 has been rounded to $52,200:

• in section 206C(1)(b) of the Act, $26,069 has been rounded to $26,100:

• in section 206C(2) of the Act, $26,069 has been rounded to $26,100.

In accordance with section 266A(5) of the Act, rounding to the next whole thousand dollars has been applied to the adjusted amounts as follows:

• in section 206C(1)(a) of the Act, $1,110,024 has been rounded to $1,111,000:

• in section 206V(1) of the Act, $312,827 has been rounded to $313,000.

In accordance with section 266A(6) of the Act, the adjustments in this order are based on adjusted amounts before they were rounded up for the purposes of the Electoral (Expenditure Limit) Order 2014. After rounding is applied to the adjusted amounts for the purposes of this order, the rounded amounts prescribed in sections 205C(1)(a), 206C(1)(b), 206C(2), and 206V(1) are the same as the amounts currently prescribed in the Act.

This order revokes the Electoral (Expenditure Limit) Order 2015, which is superseded.