QGIS and Democracy - Defining New Zealand’s Electoral Boundaries
11-20, 13:30–13:55 (Pacific/Auckland), WG607

How QGIS was used to help review and define New Zealand's electoral boundaries.


This year the Representation Commission reviewed and updated New Zealand’s electoral boundaries. This talk will give a high-level overview on the process and describe how a QGIS plugin was the core decision making tool that enabled the Commission to quickly investigate different boundary scenarios and ensure electorates were within legislated population tolerances.

Ian is a Senior Geospatial Specialist at Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, where he is one of the team that looks after the LINZ Data Service. He was seconded as a technical advisor to the Representation Commission for the 2025 electoral boundary review.