Community focus for representation review

Over the last two weeks Council staff has been asking people if their community is being represented by the right number of councilors.

This feedback will help inform policy recommendations for the total number of councillors, the boundaries and number of wards.

Tairāwhiti currently has five wards represented by 13 councillors – nine represent the Gisborne ward and one councillor for each of the four rural wards.
Council Chief Executive, Nedine Thatcher Swann says the review gives us the opportunity to identify if parts of our community are missing out on fair and effective representation.

“A representation review happens every six years and assesses factors like population density, ward coverage and amount of wards.
“These factors tell us if ward boundaries need adjusting and whether communities feel they are fairly represented,” she says.

Gisborne District Council’s last review in 2012 saw three wards on the west, Waikohu, Cook and Taruheru ward were also merged to become 2
“Population is a significant driver for most changes, but when you have geographically large areas like ours, with only one councillor we have to figure out how best to serve everyone,” says Ms Thatcher Swann.

“Communities of interest are of particular importance during preliminary discussion, because they aren’t always easy to identify.”

In a recent representation review, Rotorua Lakes City Council, where all councilors represent the whole area (at large), they identified a community of interest in their rural community and formed a community board as a result.
Feedback from this round of community engagement will be used to inform a proposal for any changes to representation. The proposal will be reviewed by Council at its’ meeting in January 2018.

“We encourage people to find out more and have your say by completing our online survey or talking to staff at events and hui being held over the next month.”
Visit Council’s website www.gdc.govt.nz or check out the discussion on our facebook page.

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