Your Choice - 2022 Election Review Consultation

The following email has been sent to everyone who submitted on the representation review:

I am writing to you because you have previously submitted on the Mackenzie District Council Representation Review. Council has decided to move ahead with proposed changes to ward and community board boundaries at the next election.

The proposal is that:

1. Council comprises of the Mayor and seven councillors elected from three wards, and
2. community board boundaries are expanded to fit the ward boundaries.

A public notice was published to this effect and appeals were invited. No appeals have been received. Normally the process would end at this point, however population statistics show the proposed new Tekapo ward is 10 people short of the number required by legislation.

This means the proposal needs to be sent to the Local Government Commission for review. This process is currently underway.

I will let you know the outcome when it is available.

Regards

Arlene

The following email has been sent to everyone who submitted on the representation review:

I am writing to you because you have previously submitted on the council’s representation arrangements for the next election.

On August 3 the Council considered your submissions and decided to continue with the original proposal.

The proposal is that:

1. Council comprises of the Mayor and seven councillors elected from three wards, and
2. community board boundaries are expanded to fit the ward boundaries.

Further details are in the attached public notice.

If you wish to appeal this decision please let me know as soon as possible so I can assist you.

Thanks

Arlene

Thank you for submitting on the Mackenzie District Council Election Review. The submission period has now closed and the submissions have been uploaded to Let’s Talk. If you would like to read the submissions you can download them here.

The Election Review was first promoted on our Let’s Talk engagement website in October last year. Since then, 458 people have looked at the Election Review page, 205 people have clicked documents or links on that page and read further information, and 54 people have asked questions or submitted their thoughts. It has been great to see this engagement. Your feedback has really helped us get a feel for what the community wants.

The next steps:

1. I am reviewing your submissions to see if changes can be made to the proposal to address the issues you have raised. The council is restricted by electoral legislation, so in some cases we cannot do what you suggest. But sometimes it is possible to make adjustments.
2. I am also seeking advice on whether the proposed changes would have a rates impact on some ratepayers, and what that impact would be.
3. A report with this information will go to the councillors to be considered in a council meeting. The council is pretty busy working on the Long Term Plan at the moment (our 10-year budget for the entire district), so this matter will need to wait until July or August. The councillors will consider all the information, including your submissions, before making a decision.
4. The outcome of this will be advertised and posted on both the Let’s Talk platform and Council’s website. Members of the public who feel strongly will then have an opportunity to appeal the council decision if they are not happy.

The Mackenzie District is currently split into two electoral wards - Opuha and Pukaki - with three councillors elected from each ward. The Mayor is elected at large.

There are currently three community boards, Twizel, Tekapo and Fairlie. Each community board has four members elected from the community and one appointed councillor. The community board boundaries enclose the urban areas of each town.

It is not possible to continue with the status quo because the latest census shows that the population of the Twizel/Pukaki area has grown faster than the population of the Fairlie/Opuha area. This has created an imbalance between the two wards.

It is proposed that the Council comprises of the Mayor and seven members elected from three wards.

What Would Change?

1. The number of wards in the district would increase from two to three with the creation of a new, Tekapo Ward.

2. The number of councillors in the district would increase from six to seven, plus the Mayor.

Reasons for Change

1. Updated population statistics have been released by Statistics New Zealand. This shows that the population of the Pukaki Ward has grown much faster than the Opuha Ward. The current arrangement of two equal wards now falls outside the statutory requirement for a fair population-to-member ratio, so the current arrangements cannot legally continue.

2. Pre-engagement with the community showed that some Tekapo voters strongly supported the creation of a Tekapo ward.

How Would it Look?

The wards will reflect the following identified communities of interest:

The population that each member will represent is as follows:

In accordance with section 19V(2), Local Electoral Act 2001, the population that each member represents must be within the range of 774 +/- 10% (697 to 851), unless particular community of interest considerations justify otherwise. This proposal does not fit within the stipulated range.

Only the representation of the Tekapo Ward falls outside the stipulated range. The Council considers that the Tekapo Ward warrants a ratio outside the range for the effective representation of communities of interest within isolated communities situated within the district.

It is proposed that the three community boards continue with the same number of members, but that the boundaries be expanded to include rural areas.

What Would Change?

Community board boundaries would be extended from the current township-only arrangement to include the entire ward area. This means everyone in the district would vote for community board members as well as the councillor/s and Mayor.

Reason for Change

Council and community boards recognise that people living in rural areas use township services such as parks, community centres and swimming pools, and should therefore have a say in who governs these assets.

How Would it Look?

It is proposed that the following three community boards be elected at the 2022 election:

Twizel Community Board

Four (4) elected members from the Pukaki Ward as a whole and one (1) appointed member, (the appointed member being a Pukaki Ward councillor, appointed by Council). The community board boundary shall be the same as the boundary of the Pukaki Ward.

Tekapo Community Board

Four (4) elected members from the Tekapo Ward as a whole and one (1) appointed member, (the appointed member being the Tekapo Ward councillor). The community board boundary shall be the same as the boundary of the Tekapo Ward.

Fairlie Community Board

Four (4) elected members from the Opuha Ward as a whole and one (1) appointed member, (the appointed member being an Opuha Ward councillor, appointed by Council). The community board boundary shall be the same as the boundary of the Opuha Ward.