Auckland Council has to review it’s representation arrangements in advance of the 2019 elections. Our ward Waitematā and Gulf has grown so fast that it is well in excess of the Local Government Act’s 10% rule.
In plain english, it means that either we need to change the number of councilors, or we need to significantly shrink the size of the ward. Central government has historically resisted any suggestion of more councilors. Even with a new government, potential changes to the legislation may come too late for the 2019 local elections.
Public submissions must open before September 8. In the meantime, our local board has considered the initial recommendations of the Joint Governance Working Party. It would have been nice if we’d been given a heads up as well!
Item 20 from the May Waitematā Local Board Agenda has all the details, including a map of the recommended option. In Option 1, Grafton remains part of the Waitematā and Gulf Ward.
The minutes of that meeting express a preference for legislative change, but accept that short of that, Waitematā and Gulf Ward must shrink.
This topic will be discussed at the next three GRA meetings, so come along and have your say so that we can represent your views in our submission in September.