Calls for public expressions of interest will be advertised from February 11 and the council expects to be able to appoint the three independent members of the working party on March 13. The positions will be unpaid.
Council staff pointed out the representation review was a separate process to the council's controversial proposed Te Arawa Board process which could see unelected iwi members sit on council committees and be given voting rights.
Council governance and partnerships manager Oonagh Hopkins said it was an opportunity for the public to take a closer look at how they were represented under a full community-engagement process, and hopefully raise voter turnout in the 2016 elections.
However, the working party concept was not met with universal acceptance. Councillors Peter Bentley, Mike McVicker, Glenys Searancke and Janet Wepa questioned the cost, Mr McVicker saying he felt the decision on how the community should be represented should be made by councillors.
"We are elected to make decisions of this nature ... this seems like a way of stretching out the cost of a simple process," Mr McVicker said.
Councillor Mark Gould said he was concerned about the review's timing and felt the public would confuse it with the Te Arawa Board proposal.
Mrs Raukawa-Tait said it was a great opportunity for the public to get involved in the representation review, especially young people who felt left out of the process.
Councillor Karen Hunt said the question of how many councillors there should be was another important question that hadn't been asked of the public.
