Council proposes ward changes for 2019 poll

THE Waitaki District Council has proposed extending its Ahuriri Ward, which already covers 54% of the entire district, but has stepped back from cutting the number of members on its two community boards.

In its proposal for the representation review for the 2019 election, the 389,829ha Ahuriri Ward would be extended into the currently 195,845ha Corriedale Ward, which now accounts for 27% of the 721,665ha Waitaki district and is represented by two councillors.

The resulting boundary would include Duntroon in the onecouncillor Ahuriri Ward and leave Ngapara in Corriedale. The proposed new boundary would align with the Otago Regional Council and Environment Canterbury boundary that runs through the Waitaki Valley.

Based on 2013 census figures, the expanded Ahuriri Ward’s population of 1732 would remain the lowest among the four geographical areas in the district.

Oamaru, which makes up only 1% (3878ha) of the district by area, would retain six out of 10 councillors as its population of 13,715 represents 62% of the district’s population of 22,192.

Waihemo would also retain one councillor.

In its initial proposal for the representation review for the 2019 election, the council backed away from a plan to reduce the number of community board members on the Ahuriri and Waihemo wards’ respective community boards from five to four.

Ahuriri board chairman Graham Sullivan spoke against the reduction during the public forum before this week’s council meeting, a view which found favour with the majority of councillors.

Cr Hugh Perkins said community boards provided an ‘‘extremely important channel’’ for community members to have their voices heard at council level.

‘‘Community boards are important and an opportunity to consult the community with a reasonable amount of twoway communication,’’ he said.

Several councillors said before Tuesday’s meeting they had supported the idea of a reduction to only four members for each community board but had changed their minds.

Only Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said he remained in favour of a reduction to four community board members, saying he was concerned about the cost of potential byelections.

There had been ‘‘a lot’’ in the Ahuriri Ward after too few people stood for the board.

The initial proposal requires a month of public consultation, which is scheduled to begin before the end of the month.