Napier council decides to adopt ward-only representation

Napier resident and submitter Robin Gwynn presenting his views in favour of a ward-only representation system to the Napier City Council yesterday. Photo / Nicki Harper

Napier City Council is to change its local body electoral system to one in which people vote for ward councillors only.

Since 2007 the council has had a mix of at-large and ward councillors to vote for. Subject to any appeals or objections, it will adopt a full ward system for the 2019 local elections.

Under the Local Government Act, councils are required to review their representation arrangements at least every six years.

Thirty-seven submissions were received during consultation on whether people supported the current mixed ward and at-large system for Napier, 70 per cent of which favoured an electoral system of wards only.

Yesterday seven submitters spoke to the council, all in support of the full ward system.

Mark Cleary said if Napier was to be an inclusive and engaged council it needed to represent diversity, which a full ward system would help to bring about.

"The status quo does not deliver this and many Napier residents have shown recently that they want a richer form of civic engagement.

"Many feel the only way to have influence is through social media and protest, which also suggests the status quo is not working."

A former councillor himself, Robin Gwynn submitted that the fundamental issue was fairness and that despite its relatively small size Napier was not one "homogeneous community of interest".

"This council has been heavily laden with councillors from affluent areas not representing areas of deprivation, and it has only improved a little bit with the mixed system."

During deliberations the councillors gave their views. Mayor Bill Dalton and at-large councillor Richard McGrath were both against changing the status quo.

Dalton said the council was already vibrant and inclusive and had a diversity of representatives.

He said voting for councillors was not just a popularity contest, and the mixed system ensured people with different skills were represented.

"I would hope that when people came to vote they would look at the people that are at large and ask how many have the business and administration skills needed to run the city."

McGrath said with six female and six male councillors with a mix of community and business backgrounds, the council already represented the different interests of the city.

He also questioned whether changing the system would encourage more people to vote.

"I think we have the best of both worlds already where one system is not better than the other - the two systems complement each other."

Councillor Maxine Boag put the resolution to adopt a full ward system using existing ward boundaries, without community boards.

"I remind you that we all argued against amalgamation because we said it's better to be represented close to home.

"I believe we have a clear mandate from our submitters, many of whom were guided by the information provided in our own analysis," she said.

When it came to the vote, only McGrath was against the resolution.

A final proposal will be publicly notified. Submitters have one month to appeal the final proposal or for the public to object to any change from the initial proposal of the mixed system.

Any objections and appeals received will be provided to the Local Government Commission for a final decision.