What did we look at during the preliminary consultation?

We held a preliminary consultation asking for early feedback in May 2024.

We wanted to hear what you thought about the following key decisions that need to be made:

  • The total number of councillors for the district and the way they are elected - at ‘large’ or by ward or a combination.
  • The boundaries of wards and their names.
  • Whether there should be community boards in the district and, if so, the number of boards; their names and boundaries; the number of members for each board including any appointed members; and whether the board area should be subdivided for electoral purposes.
We received 58 submissions during the early consultation period, when we asked for your thoughts on the representation arrangements in the district.

Here is a summary of the general feedback we received.

  • 93% agreed that the current wards which are based on communities of interest, reflecting geographical areas and population figures are working well.

  • 89% thought the 14 (status quo) is the right number of councillors to reflect the interests of the different communities in the district.

There were a mixture of comments (26) and views as to why, including:

  • Councillors know their own wards individual needs, local issues
  • Different needs across different communities
  • People need to have suitable skills
  • Fair representation through a combination of wards and at large.

  • 83% thought that community boards should be kept the same, with the existing Lawrence-Tuapeka Community Board and the West Otago Community Boards.

    13% thought there should be more community boards.

    4% thought there should be less.

  • 4 comments suggested 4 key areas for where more community boards should be established, including:

    • Bruce/Milton/Waihola – 4 comments
    • Catlins – 2 comments
    • Kaitangata – 1 comment
    • Clinton - 1 comment