Section 2: Talking about the Election at school
New Zealand’s Teaching Council Code of Professional Responsibility (Ngā Tikanga Matatika), states that teachers are allowed to hold political views—but there are clear limits on how they express them, especially around students.
Teachers are not classified as public servants under the law, so they don’t have to be politically neutral, however they must not use their position of authority to unduly influence students. You can see the Teaching Council’s advice here: Guidance for teachers: Managing personal beliefs
Whether you are talking to colleagues or students about voting, there are some things you definitely can do, and others things we advise against.
What’s okay:
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Helping people enrol to vote or to check if they are enrolled
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Sharing information about how voting works, such as how to find their local polling station, what the experience will be like, and what they can and can’t do in the voting booth.
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Helping them find out the relevant information about which electorate they are in, who they can vote for, and how to find the policies of different political parties.
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Discussing the difference between the Māori and General electoral rolls and how to choose the right one for them, although note that it is now an offense to tell someone which roll to choose.
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You can say who you are voting for and why, so long as you don’t stray into promoting this choice over others.
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Encouraging people to talk to others about enrolling and voting.
What to avoid:
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Telling students who to vote for
- Making values statements about politics (including left vs right) that could ‘unduly influence’ students’ thinking.
Last modified on Thursday, 11 June 2026 13:35