nzreferendums.org is closing down

nzreferendums.org has been online for over six months, yet only 73 users have registered. It has utterly failed to get the required momentum to work, and I've decided to close the website down.

Thank you to all who signed up and tried to make it work. Perhaps a variation of the concept may re-emerge sometime in the future.

For those who aren't aware what this site was, and just to keep the idea alive, I'll leave an explanation below.

If you wish to contact me, please leave a comment (or use nzreferendums[at]punk.co.nz).

What was this site?

nzreferendums.org was aimed at making better use of the Citizens Initiated Referenda Act, which enables the voters of New Zealand to call official referendums. It is the most powerful means we (the public) have to tell the Government what we want. You can learn more about this at the Elections Website and Wikipedia.

Despite its power, since the Act was passed in 1993 there have been only three referendums. Organising a referendum is no easy task. The hardest part is gathering the signatures required to force the Government to hold the referendum. The purpose of the site was to make that task easier. Thereby improving democracy and giving the voters a stronger voice.

The idea at a glance

A "Digg" like site where:

1. Users submit referendum ideas on important issues.


2. Other users click to register their interest in it, showing that they would sign a petition to have a referendum on that subject held.


3. When there is enough interest to make it work officially, those users finalise the wording (if necessary) using tools such as discussion forums, polls, and wiki editing provided on the site.


4. The forms to initiate an official petition for a referendum are then completed and submitted to the Electorial Comission (along with the processing fee) safe in the knowledge that there is enough support for it to succeed.


5. All those users who registered their interest are sent an email telling them where they can go to sign the petition. Or if they prefer, where to download and print out the petition form, so they can sign it and mail it in.

The idea was to save having to register a petition for a referendum, and put lots of effort into collecting signatures, if it simply won't be successful. It was hoped that it would promote greater use of the existing CIR Act as a means for more direct democracy, and that smart ideas for the country would have a forum in which they could recieve support from the public.