With this year's election date bumped out a month to October 17, 17-year-olds who turn 18 between September 19 and the new date will now be able to vote.
But could those 5000 new voters make a difference in the election?
Three 17-year-olds who are now eligible to vote in this election say their voices shouldn't be dismissed, since they've participated in global movements such as the school climate strikes.
New voter Gina Dao-McLay says people her age do care about political issues.
"I think a lot of us young people really do care about who's going to be in Parliament after the election," she told The Project.
"I'm very fortunate to have people around me who have been interested in politics and they have taught me quite a lot."
Darcy Frank, another new voter, says she enrolled earlier in the year and has had help from her school to help understand New Zealand's political system.
"My school's done quite a bit of it this year with all the year 13s, so I've got a pretty good understanding of the process, which is really helpful."
But not all new voters are ready, including Eric Nielsen.
"I think the only thing I know about the voting process is that I just choose who I want to vote for. I only know the basics," he says.
"To be fair, I don't know much, besides Jacinda Ardern obviously."
Nielsen says he will probably talk to his parents about getting enrolled, and will also enlist the help of his friends that have already turned 18.
"All of a sudden being able to vote this year, it is a bit out of the blue, because I was just planning to wait."
Now the political parties just need to find a way to reach these new voters.
"I'm really interested to hear about what parties are thinking about doing to recover from COVID-19, particularly when thinking about the issues that already existed around the world like climate change and inequality," Dao-McLay says
Frank also wants to hear about politicians' plans to tackle climate change.
"A bit more about climate change responses. That's something that's huge for me."
The trio all say they're "super excited" to now be able to vote in this election, with Nielsen saying he feels "like a big boy right now".
