Queenstown Lakes District Councillors will be asked to consider a final proposal for elected representation at their next full Council meeting this Thursday.

Council is required to undertake a representation review every six years. A proposal to largely retain the status quo, with the exception of a slightly larger Arrowtown ward was notified back in June.

QLDC Electoral Officer, Jane Robertson confirmed that following a public submission process and hearings, it has been recommended that Council approves the proposal unchanged.

“We received 37 submissions in total with the majority supporting the proposal. This is a good indicator that the community is comfortable with how it is being represented by elected members,” she said.

Under the proposal, the district would retain three wards made up of Queenstown-Wakatipu electing six councillors, Wanaka electing three councillors and a slightly larger Arrowtown ward electing one councillor.

The Wanaka Community Board would also be retained, comprising four elected members and three Wanaka ward councillors appointed by Council.

“If approved, we’ll kick off a month long appeals and objections process, closing on 8 October,” Ms Robertson said.

Following this the proposal and any appeals or objections received, must be referred to the Local Government Commission for a final decision due to the size of the Arrowtown ward being non-compliant with Local Electoral Act rules for fair representation.

QLDC Communications and Engagement Manager Naell Crosby-Roe acknowledged that the Council was aware through this process that the Arrowtown ward would not comply with the Act.

“However we are firm in the argument that Arrowtown has its own special historic importance and individual character and should be represented separately to the Queenstown-Wakatipu Ward,” he said.

While the Council is required under the Local Electoral Act 2001 to carry out a representation review each six years, Councillors are also being asked to approve an earlier review prior to the 2021 triennial general election.

“This district has grown and changed a great deal since the local Council’s amalgamated back in 1989 and since then the representation arrangements have remained largely the same. If approved, our next review will happen in three years’ time and take a broad blue sky view of representation arrangements,” Mr Crosby-Roe said.

ENDS

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