Mark your calendars because on October 14, 2023, New Zealand will be buzzing with political fervour as the much-anticipated general election unfolds. This blog post is your gateway to a treasure trove of ideas and resources, specially curated to help you craft dynamic educational programs around this historic event.

New Zealand General Election Activity Ideas

We’ve saved you time by curating a range of exciting ideas for learning more about elections, voting, and the upcoming 2023 General Election. Check out the links below – there is something for everyone!

Save The Children: My Voice Matters

Save the Children have put together a resource pack as part of their Children’s Election 2023. Their resource pack includes everything you need to run a children’s election in your school. See more here (and watch the video below.

Electoral Commission: Kids Voting Programme

Kids Voting – Te Pōti a Ngā Tamariki gives your school everything it needs to run a mock election. Teach your students about real candidates, parties and election issues, and give them a first-hand voting experience. Click here to find out more.

New Zealand Parliament: Explore Parliament

The Explore Parliament website really is a treasure trove of information about how our NZ parliament functions. Learn how laws are passed, budgets are created, and even explore parliament on a virtual tour! See more here.

The New Zealand Curriculum Online: NZ General Election 2023

TKI has put out an information guide with some handy links and general facts about the election process. Check out more here.

NZ School Journal Texts about elections

There are a few articles and stories in the New Zealand School Journals that link to general elections or the theme of voting.

The Winning Side – School Journal Level 4 May 2020: This story references general elections, in the context of an election to a school council. “The Winning Side” introduces a few big ideas: the need for a platform, the importance of giving everyone a voice, and why we vote. We have follow-up activities for this text which you can find here.
Let’s Vote On It! – School Journal Level 2 May 2020: The author uses this light-hearted play to introduce ideas about voting, elections, and MMP. A monster is roaming the kingdom and causing mayhem. The characters come up with various ways to deal with the threat and then vote on the solutions. The resolution sees the problem solved peacefully through communication. We have follow-up activities for this text which you can find here.
Bird of the Year – Junior Journal 59, Level 2, 2019: In this interview, Megan Hubscher of Forest & Bird talks to Iona McNaughton about the Bird of the Year competition – why it started and how it helps keep New Zealand native birds safe. Students can read about some of the past winners of the competition in an accompanying article, “And the Winner Is …” We have follow-up activities for this text which you can find here.

Our NEw Zealand Election Resources

NZ General Election Reading Comprehension and Literacy Activities Year 2-4

Learn about the 2023 New Zealand General Election and the processes of the New Zealand government. In this set of reading comprehension and literacy activities pack, pitched at Year 2-4 learners, students will learn what an election is and all about the 2023 New Zealand General Election. Click here to find this resource.

In this New Zealand General Election Reading Comprehension and Literacy Activities pack, you receive includes:

a reading passage suitable for Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4.

Each of the three passages also includes:

a set of vocabulary activities
a cloze reading activity
reading comprehension questions
a set of answers for all activities

Click here to find this resource.

New Zealand Parliament and the 2023 General Election Scavenger Hunt Puzzle Poster

Engage your students in the upcoming general elections and civics education with our New Zealand Parliament and the 2023 General Election interactive scavenger hunt. Your students will learn about New Zealand’s parliament, the role of parliament, Members of Parliament and their roles, the MMP system of voting, how a General Election works, the New Zealand Parliament Buildings, the 2023 General Election, New Zealand political parties and more! Find this resource here.

Women and the Vote – A NZ History Social Sciences and Literacy Bundle

This social sciences and literacy unit explores how, over time, various New Zealand governments have restricted voting rights, and how have people advocated for their rights. The bundle takes a specific focus on women and the vote, the women’s suffrage campaign, and its historic success and ongoing impacts. Clear links are provided to both the Aotearoa New Zealand History and Social Sciences Curriculum. Learn more about this amazing bundle of resources here.

FREE NZ GENERAL ELECTION RESOURCE

We’ve put together a free resource to explore the 2023 NZ General Election. You can find this in our freebie library (plus 50+ other FREE resources). Sign up here.