Thousands of Māori voters have switched between the Māori and General electoral rolls since changes were made to the Māori Electoral Option less than a month ago.

The Option is the choice for Māori to enrol on the Māori electoral roll or the general electoral roll. Māori who want to switch rolls before the October 14 General Election need to make the change before midnight on July 13.

Since March 31, 9264 voters of Māori descent have changed rolls, enrolled for the first time, or updated their details.

Up to yesterday morning, 4762 people have changed roll types – 2611 from the general roll to the Māori roll, and 2151 from the Māori roll to the general roll.

There have been 281 new enrolments on the Māori roll and 149 new enrolments on the general roll.

Another 4072 people haven't changed rolls but have taken the opportunity to update their details on the electoral roll, for example, their address.

At this year's election, voters on the Māori roll will vote for a candidate in a Māori electorate and voters on the general roll will vote for a candidate in a general electorate. Whichever roll a voter is on, they will choose from the same list of political parties when it comes to their party vote.

The Electoral Commission, Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri, told Local Democracy Reporting it is pleasing to see people taking up the opportunity to get on their preferred roll and make other changes.

Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne says Māori who are enrolled to vote should have received a pack in the mail by now about the Māori Electoral Option.

"If you're happy with the roll you're on, you don't need to do anything. If you'd like to change the roll you're on, sign and date the letter in the pack and send it back, or go online to vote.nz to make the change.

"If you haven't received a pack, it means we have an old address for you, or you're not enrolled. You can enrol, update your address, or change rolls if you would like to at vote.nz, or by filling in a new enrolment form."

Information packs were sent to 512,000 voters who identified themselves as being of Māori descent when they enrolled to vote.

-Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.