Media release

22 October 2009

Waitakere Ward and local board boundary preferences outlined to Local Government Commission

A new Waitakere Ward stretching from Muriwai to Blockhouse Bay has been suggested by Waitakere City Council in its ‘initial input’ to the Local Government Commission on the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009.

To better reflect the region’s communities of interest, the council wants the commission to consider creating a ward extending north to include Muriwai, Huapai, Kumeu and Riverhead, and east to include Avondale and the area between the present Avondale Community Board’s eastern boundary and Carrington Road.

The ward would be represented by four councillors on the new Auckland Council, and divided into five local boards of no fewer than six members each, comprising:

• Waitakere Local Board - including the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area and foothills of the Ranges, Waitakere Township and Swanson, with the additional area of Muriwai in the present Rodney District;
• Massey Local Board - centred on the new town centre under development at Westgate and extending to include Waimauku, Kumeu-Huapai and Riverhead in Rodney;
• Henderson Local Board - centred on the existing Henderson town centre and extending to include Western Heights and Glendene as far as Hepburn Rd;
• New Lynn Local Board - centred on the regenerating town centre of New Lynn and its new transport interchange as well as Glen Eden and Kelston;
• Avondale Local Board - centred on Avondale town centre and including Blockhouse Bay (the current Avondale ward of Auckland City).

In areas with larger populations the council would support more than six representatives.

“The multi-member ward option would give transparency to the new governance arrangements by creating more opportunity for representation of the West’s diverse interests and groups,” says Waitakere City Councillor Janet Clews.

“It will also mean electors have more choice, leading to increased voter satisfaction about making a meaningful contribution to the management and shaping of region,” she says.

“Councillors must act in the interests of Auckland as a whole but having four elected from a single ward would enable the workload to be shared, give some scope for specialisation and provide multiple points of contact for the community.

The population of the new Waitakere ward is estimated to be 241,110 (Census 2006).

“There are very strong links to Waitakere in West Rodney and Avondale, so it makes sense to include them in a new all-encompassing ward,” she says.

“Many of the people living in these communities travel, work, shop or go to school here and have strong links to this area.”

The full document can be downloaded from www.waitakere.govt.nz

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