QLDC clarifies proposed boundary changes

From QLDC:

"Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) will begin community consultation next week on a proposed model of representation.

Under the Local Electoral Act 2001, local authorities are required to review their representation agreements at least once every six years.

The review considers a number of things including how many Councillors are required, geographical boundaries of wards, names of those wards, identifying communities of interest, and if community boards should be established or retained. The role of Mayor is not part of the review.

The current boundaries compared to what is proposed - source: QLDC

Elected members voted at the Full Council meeting yesterday (30 June) to consult on the following representation arrangements:

The district elects a total of 12 councillors across four wards;
All Councillors are elected in wards;
The names of the wards shall be: Whakatipu, Kawarau, Arrowtown and Wānaka-Hāwea;
The boundaries of each ward are described as:

a) the boundary of the Wānaka-Hāwea Ward shall be the same as the current Wānaka Ward;
b) the external boundary of the Whakatipu and Kawarau Wards combined shall be the same as the present Queenstown-Wakatipu Ward;
c) the Kawarau Ward shall exclude the present Arrowtown Ward and the boundary of the Arrowtown Ward shall be the same as present;
d) the boundary between the Whakatipu and Kawarau Wards shall generally follow the line of the Shotover River and the eastern boundary of the lower part of Lake Whakatipu, with diversions to include Kelvin Peninsula in the Whakatipu Ward and Arthurs Point in the Kawarau Ward;
e) the Whakatipu Ward shall be located generally to the west of the Shotover River and eastern boundary of the lower part of Lake Whakatipu and the Kawarau Ward;

The voters in each Whakatipu and Wānaka-Hāwea wards will elect four Councillors;
The voters in Arrowtown ward shall elect one Councillor;
The voters in Kawarau ward shall elect three Councillors;
There will be no community boards in the district.

Queenstown Lakes residents are invited to have a say on these proposals. Formal community consultation will take place from 5 July until 6 August 2021.

More detailed information of the boundaries and proposed wards, and a survey for making a submission will be available on letstalk.qldc.govt.nz from 5 July. Residents also have the option to email [email protected] or post their feedback to Representation Review Feedback, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Freepost 191078, Private Bag 50072, Queenstown 9348. Boundary and ward information will also be available in Council offices and libraries throughout the district.

Submissions will be heard in Queenstown on 26 August and in Wānaka on 27 August.

Following formal hearings, officers expect to take a final proposal to Council in mid-September. The final outcome will take effect for the October 2022 local elections."

Further Background:

A representation review addresses the total number of councillors there should be for the district or region and the way they are elected. In the case of territorial authorities, this involves deciding whether councillors are elected from wards or ‘at large’ across the whole district, or by a mix of both wards and ‘at large’. A review also covers the boundaries of wards and constituencies, and their names. In the case of territorial authorities, a review also needs to address 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.

As part of the process to prepare a proposal, Council appointed an independent advisory group, which included an independent Chair, former QLDC Mayor, political science academic, Iwi representative and three community members.

The process and timelines for conducting a Representation Review are defined by the Local Government Commission Mana Kāwanatanga ā Rohe: http://www.lgc.govt.nz/representation- reviews/