Special helps Aussie-based Kiwis get out the vote

Special has achieved success with a different kind of campaign- to increase the number of Australia-based Kiwis voting in our general election.

In September of 2023, nonpartisan organisation Every Kiwi Vote Counts encouraged overseas voter participation by focusing on boosting voter turn-out in Australia, contributing to a 24 percent increase in overseas voters last election – the highest turnout on record.

The campaign featured Darryl – an uber-Australian character who claimed that “this New Zealand election, Australia decides.” And for good reason – of the six million New Zealanders in the world, almost 700,000 of them reside in Australia. That’s a huge percentage of voters, with the potential and power to sway the result.

Every Kiwi Vote Counts initiator and director Tracey Lee spent 15 years of her life voting overseas, back when she had to head to a consulate in New York, vote via fax in Shanghai, or jump online in Amsterdam to participate in the General Election.   

“Democracy only works if we can all be part of it,” said Lee. “This campaign wasn’t about orchestrating turn-out in favour of one party or another. It simply championed the rights of all New Zealanders to vote – ensuring that we have robust and healthy participation in our government elections.”

“In 2020, there were a total of 2.8 million votes in our General Election – and only one in ten international voters took part. With roughly one million New Zealanders living overseas, there’s a large proportion of New Zealanders who aren’t exercising their democratic right to vote.”

This was an election campaign like no other, in that it was focused on foreign soil – garnering the earned media needed to make sure Every Kiwi Vote Counts’ message was heard. Using a variety of social media, video, out-of-home and PR, Kiwis living in Australia were encouraged, challenged, and even goaded into having their say.

David Shirley, Creative Director at Special added, “If you’ve met me, you know that politics and democracy are topics close to my heart. Meaning, you’ve probably had an earful from me at some point – apologies. But equality and the right to vote are also incredibly important to Special, so we were keen to make sure that every voice was heard, regardless of geography.”

Said Lee, “Overseas voters were especially significant this time, as it was a much tighter election than we saw in 2020. Both major political parties had new leaders and the minor parties were set-up to hold an unprecedented influence post-election, meaning every Kiwi vote really did count.”

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