Representation Review consultation to open

Published on 01 August 2024

On Friday 2 August, Waitaki District Council will begin consultation on its Representation Review Initial Proposal for the 2025 and 2028 local elections. The consultation will run until 11.59pm on Wednesday 4 September.

Every six years, by law, Council must review our representation arrangements. This is to ensure we are best set up to represent people fairly and equally. The last review Waitaki District Council did was in 2018.

At present, the Initial Proposal is to keep things as they are for the 2025 and 2028 elections. This would mean Waitaki district voters elect a Mayor, Councillors, and Community Board members under the same arrangements that were used in the last local elections in 2022.

Currently, the average population to Councillor ratio is 2,436. This varies from ward to ward. Oamaru Ward has six Councillors who each represent 2,483 people, while Corriedale Ward has two Councillors who each represent 2,460 people. Waihemo Ward has one Councillor to represent 2,500 people, and the Ahuriri Ward has one Councillor to represent around 2,040 people.

The Ahuriri Ward has a -16.26% difference from the quota for an elected member, which is outside the range of +/- 10% to comply with Local Electoral Act requirements. That difference has decreased from -21.95% in the 2018 Representation Review as a result of tourism and economic development in the area. 

Council proposes to seek an exemption for the Ahuriri Ward to that legal requirement and to have it recognised as an isolated community of interest that requires an Elected Member and a Community Board to ensure effective representation.

The Initial Proposal is available in the consultation document, and online at Let’s Talk Waitaki. Consultation documents will also be available at Waitaki District offices in Oamaru and Palmerston as well as our libraries.

ENDS