Electorate changes proposed for Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Tauranga

The Bay of Plenty electorate will be reconfigured and renamed Mt Maunganui to better reflect the area. Photo / Mead Norton

Thousands of Bay of Plenty voters may soon find themselves in Rotorua, while thousands in Tauranga could shift to a renamed neighbouring electorate.

An electorate boundary review has proposed changes to Rotorua, Tauranga and Bay of Plenty general electorates.

Rotorua is set to extend north as Tauranga shifts west, while the Bay of Plenty electorate will be reconfigured and renamed “Mt Maunganui”.

The Representation Commission conducting the 2025 Boundary Review has released the proposed boundaries and names for public comment.

“Our review is driven by population numbers and the need to ensure each electorate has about the same number of people living in it,” Representation Commission chairman Judge Kevin Kelly said.

How the proposed electorate changes would affect Tauranga and Bay of Plenty (to be renamed Mt Maunganui) borders. Shaded areas would move into different electorates. Graphic / Representation Commission

The boundary review proposed that “underpopulated” Rotorua should extend north towards Tauranga.

“With the current Bay of Plenty now being effectively divided east and west by Tauranga, the Commission is proposing that these electorates be reconfigured with Tauranga in the west and Mt Maunganui (renamed from Bay of Plenty) in the east,” the review document said.

Tauranga would gain 11,300 people from Bay of Plenty, including parts of the Western Bay of Plenty district, Te Puna and the Waimapu area.

The proposal reconfigures Bay of Plenty electorate and renames it Mt Maunganui. Graphic / Representation Commission

A population of about 8,300 would shift from Tauranga to Mt Maunganui electorate.

Mt Maunganui would cover Matapihi, Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa Beach areas.

Rotorua would gain Omanawa, McLaren Falls and Lower Kaimai. It already includes Rotorua, Kaingaroa, Reporoa and Te Puke.

The new boundaries allowed for projected population growth in Tauranga and Mt Maunganui electorates, “and provides areas for expansion for Rotorua should this be required in the future”.

How the proposed electorate changes would affect Rotorua. Graphic / Representation Commission

No change was proposed for the Waiariki Māori electorate, which includes the entire Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupō, Tūrangi, plus the northern shores of Tairāwhiti / East Cape.

The Coromandel electorate, which extends to Waihi, Waihi Beach and Katikati, was also unchanged.

Significant North Island changes

Overall, the number of North Island general electorates would decrease by one, Kelly said in a statement.

“This is addressed in the lower North Island where the current electorates' populations are below the target quota.

“This change, coupled with some significant population changes elsewhere, has resulted in relatively substantial shifts in most electorate boundaries in the North Island, particularly in the lower North Island and the Auckland region,” Kelly said.

Key changes in the lower North Island include boundary adjustments from Wellington northwards.

Two new electorates, Kenepuru and Kāpiti, are proposed, while the existing electorates of Ōhāriu, Mana and Ōtaki are removed, reducing the overall number of North Island electorates by one.

In Auckland, boundary shifts reflect significant population growth in the north and south, which must be absorbed into central electorates.

In West Auckland, the electorates of New Lynn, Kelston and Te Atatū have been reconfigured into three new electorates with the proposed names Waitākere, Glendene and Rānui.

In southeast Auckland, Panmure-Ōtāhuhu’s boundaries move south and the electorate is renamed Ōtāhuhu.

In the South Island, Selwyn – one of the country’s fastest-growing electorates – has been adjusted so that other Christchurch electorates can accommodate more people.

For the Māori electorates, a boundary adjustment is proposed between Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and Te Tai Tonga in Lower Hutt, while the other five Māori electorates remain unchanged.

A full description of each electorate is available in the Proposed Boundaries 2025 report.

The Representation Commission will consider all submissions before releasing the final boundaries in August.