NRC chairwoman Penny Smart said a new councillor structure is about how best to achieve fair and effective representation for Northlanders. Photo / Supplied
NRC chairwoman Penny Smart said a new councillor structure is about how best to achieve fair and effective representation for Northlanders. Photo / Supplied
Voter representation on Northland Regional Council in the next local body election has been confirmed, with two councillors elected from a region-wide Māori constituency to sit on the nine-strong council.
People voting for their regional council representatives at next year's local body elections will elect a nine-strong council that willinclude two Māori councillors representing Te Raki, a new region-wide Māori constituency.
A decision by NRC in October 2020 to establish Māori constituencies triggered the need to review its overall representation arrangements, which was last done in 2018.
That decision to go with Māori constituencies saw long-term councillor John Bain resign in protest.
The NRC was the first of Northland's local bodies to vote for specific Māori councillors. Since then Whangārei, Far North and Kaipara District Councils have all voted to have Māori seats. There will be nine Māori seats or constituency elected representatives from the four councils.
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NRC chairwoman Penny Smart said while the council's decisions to establish Māori constituencies and to use the First Past the Post (FPP) electoral system had already been made and couldn't be changed through the Representation Review process, the NRC had recently sought public feedback on the number of councillors, the areas they're elected from and the names of the constituencies they'll represent.
Smart said after considering the 33 submissions received, the council decided to push ahead with a proposed model that would have nine councillors at the next local body elections.
Seven general councillors would be elected from seven general constituencies (one from each) and two Māori councillors will elected from the region-wide Māori constituency (Te Raki), the latter with an electoral population of approximately 48,000.
Two councillors elected from a region-wide Māori constituency will be among the nine Northland Regional councillors voted in at the next local body elections. Photo / NZME
The general constituencies are: Far North (with an electoral population of 21,500 people), Coastal Central (20,800), Coastal South (21,000), Kaipara (19,900), Mid North (20,300), Whangārei Central (22,300) and Bay of Islands-Whangaroa (21,100).
Legally each councillor must represent roughly the same number of people, plus or minus 10 per cent.
Aside from the Te Raki constituency, which only those on the Māori electoral roll could vote for, the proposed key changes from the current model are:
• The proposed Whangārei Central general constituency is smaller and confined to the city centre. There would be a single councillor (instead of the current two), recognising that people living in Whangārei have easy access to the council's main office, services and councillors, unlike some more remote parts of the region
• The outer fringes/suburbs of Whangārei are reflected in the surrounding constituencies
• A new Mid North general constituency incorporating Hikurangi, Towai, Kawakawa and Moerewa to ensure these communities are well represented
• A new general constituency specific to the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa area which has been identified as a clear community of interest and experiencing considerable growth.
Smart said the council is grateful to all those who took the time to comment on its plans.
At its heart, the review is about how best to achieve fair and effective representation for Northlanders within the legislative requirements councils are bound by, she said.
The constituencies:
Far North General: From Cape Reinga, down the west coast to Waipoua. Includes the service centres of Kaitaia and Kaikohe.
Bay of Islands – Whangaroa General: Includes Whangaroa Harbour, the Bay of Islands and the surrounding settlements (including Kerikeri, Waipapa, Russell and Paihia).
Kaipara General: Very similar to the current constituency; from Waipoua down to the southern boundary of the Northland region. Includes the service centres of Dargaville and Kaiwaka.
Mid North General: The inland region stretching from Pakaraka down to the northern and western suburbs of Whangārei. Includes the townships of Hikurangi, Towai, Kawakawa and Moerewa.
Coastal Central General: The coastal fringe to the north and east of Whangārei – extending from Taupiri Bay down to Bream Head.
Whangārei Central General: Focused on the Whangārei central business district.
Coastal South General: Incorporates the coastal fringe south of Whangārei and includes the service centres of Waipū, Ruakākā and Mangawhai.
Te Raki Māori: All of the region.
For more information visit: www.nrc.govt.nz/representationmatters
