Media Release

12 April 2013

Electoral Boundaries for Regional Council confirmed

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s proposal for the structure of constituencies in Hawke’s Bay has been partially upheld by the Local Government Commission in its determination received by HBRC this week on 10 April.

HBRC’s proposal was for 2 communities of interest - Central Hawke’s Bay and Wairoa – and this has been upheld by the Local Government Commission. Wairoa has been a community of interest since the 2007 elections, and for this election the CHB constituency will reflect the district boundaries.

A new rural constituency for Hastings District has also been confirmed by the Commission, as requested by Hastings District Council and the Hastings District Rural Community Board and supported by Napier City Council. They submitted that a clearer urban-rural split would better represent the diverse communities of interest in the district, particularly for rural voters. HBRC previously had a rural Hastings constituency before 2007 and the new constituency has similar boundaries.

The determination confirms that the Regional Council will have 9 councillors representing 5 constituencies for the 2013 local government elections:

Wairoa Constituency 1 councillor (no change)

Napier Constituency 3 councillors (no change)

Central Hawke’s Bay Constituency 1 councillor and accepted as a ‘community of interest’ with boundaries reflecting the CHB District Council boundaries

Hastings Rural Constituency 1 councillor – considered a ‘community of interest’ in its own right by LGC and including wards (areas) belonging to Rangitikei and Taupo districts

Hastings Urban Constituency 3 councillors and boundaries encompassing HDC ‘urban wards’ of Havelock North, Flaxmere and Hastings.

The Commission will issue a formal public notice with a map showing the boundaries of the 5 constituencies.

In support of the changes, the Commission’s Determination stated: “We were satisfied, on the basis of the arguments put to us by the Council and supported by all of the objectors, that there was a case for reducing the size of Central Hawke’s Bay Constituency to coincide with Central Hawke’s Bay District”.

They also considered it “appropriate to be guided by the requirement to ensure, so far as is practicable, constituency boundaries coincide with territorial authority boundaries. The Commission sees this as important as territorial authorities reflect communities of interest based on the delivery of a wide range of day-to-day services.”

ENDS

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