10 April, 2013

City wide elections to be held in Palmerston North

The Local Government Commission has abolished the ward system for Palmerston North City Council and it has retained 15 Councillors and the mayor.

Last year Palmerston North City Council carried out consultation with residents on local representation. Council then considered the matter and decided in favour or retaining the Ward system and the current number of Councillors. That decision fed into the Local Government Commission decision making process and today the Commission released the final determination.

Palmerston North mayor Jono Naylor says as a supporter of citywide voting he is delighted with the outcome.

“The decision is in keeping with the results of the 2010 poll that was held in the city which came out in favour of city-wide voting.”

Palmerston North City Council chief executive Paddy Clifford acknowledged the decision and said Council staff will now work towards implementing the Commission’s decision ahead of this year’s local body elections.

“2013 is a time of change for local democracy in Palmerston North, not only with the introduction of Citywide voting but also the implementation of Single Transferable Voting (STV) in the city. We will need to work with our community to ensure the changes are understood.”

ENDS

Editor’s Notes:

Palmerston North currently has five wards:

• Takaro

• Hokowhitu

• Ashhurst/Fitzherbert

• Papaioea

• Awapuni

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