Representation arrangements

Constituencies

Council currently has 14 councillors elected via a constituency system. The seven constituencies represented by councillors are mapped below:

Māori constituencies

The Local Electoral Act 2001 gives councils the ability to establish separate Māori constituencies for Māori electors. 

Any separate Māori representation on Council under the Local Government Act 2002 is required to be based on enrolment on the Māori electoral roll.

At the 2025 local triennial election, Council held a binding poll on whether keep or remove the Māori constituency with 63.5% of voters voting to keep the Māori constituency. As the poll was binding, Council will have a Māori constituency for the 2028 and 2031 local government elections.

Representation reviews

Councils are required to review their representation arrangements at least once every six years. This review must consider the:

• Number of elected members (within the legal requirement to have a minimum of six and a maximum of 14 members)
• Boundaries and names of each constituency
• Number of members that will represent each constituency.

Councils must follow the procedures set out in the Local Electoral Act 2001 when conducting their representation review. They should also follow the guidelines published by the Local Government Commission. 

The Local Electoral Act 2001 provides the right to make a written submission to Council on its proposed representation arrangements, as well as the right to be heard if the submitter wishes. Submitters also have the right to appeal or object to Council’s final proposal. The Local Government Commission will then make a binding decision on the appeal. 

Further details on the matters that councils must consider in reviewing their membership and basis of election can be found in the Local Electoral Act 2001.

Council last reviewed its representation in 2024 for the 2025 elections. Council will next review its representation in the 2028-31 triennium for the 2031 local government elections.

FINAL PROPOSAL FOR REPRESENTATION ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 2025 TRIENNIAL LOCAL ELECTIONS

Read more here

date_range Published 31 Oct 2024

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