Local body standoff: Taihape Community Board fighting to keep board; Rangitikei District Council seeks to abolish ward representation

Taihape Community Board chair Michelle Fannin. Photo / File

Taihape Community Board Chairwoman Michelle Fannin is fiercely defending community boards over local committees as proposed in a Rangitikei District Council survey.

She was adamant voters should hammer home to the council that they want to retain the boards.

"Well especially Taihape, which is so distant from the Marton-based council. We are a distinctive town with very much our own voice. We need to be listened to which will never happen with a committee. A committee has no teeth and very little say.''

The postal survey that has been sent out by the council hasn't reached all Taihape residents.

"Many of our rural residents are still waiting."

There were even glaring mistakes in the survey questionnaire, she said.

"I am far from impressed.''

Rangitikei Mayor Andy Watson said the council wanted to abolish ward representation as population growth had made current representation uneven.

"The populations of Marton and Bulls were growing at a very fast rate. Towns like Hunterville, Taihape and Ratana have meant the current ward structures are uneven in numbers. Each ward councillor has to represent a similar number of people and right now this is not happening at all," he said.

Fannin said the Taihape board would be fighting "tooth and nail" to keep the board.

"We're the link to the council for the people of Taihape and we intend to stay."

Watson said there were five wards throughout the district and a new two-or three-ward structure would be the answer in light of the hefty population rises in Marton and Bulls.

"Because it shows clearly the current ward structure is out of kilter. Marton and Bulls are both growing faster than the other towns which clearly shows the ward structure,'' he said.

No way, Fannin says.

"A committee wouldn't have the power and remember farms are the life blood around here. A committee wouldn't have the delegation that we have."

According to the council the Taihape board costs $46,074 a year to run. A council breakdown shows that works out at $31.04 per ratepayer in the board's area, breaking down to 58 per cent from rural ratepayers and 42 per cent from those in rural Taihape.