Hipkins warns of angry voters as Greens campaign on voting rights

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says he is worried about "very angry" voters over the Government's enrolment changes. He described the changes as "reckless", 1News reported.

Hipkins said the Electoral Commission hasn't done enough to encourage people to update. He did not give further detail about what more he thought the commission should do.

The comments come as voting rights become an issue in the campaign for the 2026 general election, with election day on 7 November. The Green Party has launched what it calls a 'grassroots' campaign for the election.

The Greens have expressed concern that government changes will "actively suppress voting", RNZ reported. The party has launched a petition calling on the Government to keep its hands off voting rights, according to the Greens.

The Greens have also vowed to reverse National's $2.4b public sector cuts if elected, Newstalk ZB reported. The party has not set out how it would pay for the reversal.

Separately, on 14 October the NZ Herald reported the Greens were open to funding the Mongrel Mob to address drug addiction if elected. The report came ahead of the party's grassroots launch.