LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION Mana Kawanatanga a Rohe

Embargoed until 11.00 am, Friday 20 November 2009

Local Government Commission proposes new boundaries for Auckland

The Local Government Commission presented its proposals on the boundaries and representation arrangements for the new Auckland Council today.

Under the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, the Commission is required to determine boundaries for the new Auckland Council, wards and local boards, ward and board names and the number of members per local board. The determinations must be made by 1 March 2010.

At a briefing for Auckland mayors, councillors, community board chairs, interest groups and MPs, Commission Chair Sue Piper outlined the Commission’s objectives and the criteria used to develop its proposals.

“A key objective of our proposals is to promote good governance and support effective engagement between people, communities, local boards and the Auckland Council,” she said.

“We’ve worked hard to provide the best possible outcomes for all of Auckland as intended by the legislation and identified by the Royal Commission on Auckland governance earlier this year.”

Ms Piper said specific criteria around wards, local boards and the location of the northern and southern boundaries of Auckland related to:

compliance with the requirements of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 recognition of communities of interest in Auckland effective representation of those communities of interest effective governance of Auckland The Commission is proposing: 12 wards, comprised of eight wards with two councillors each, and four wards with one councillor each, a total of 20 councillors 19 local boards 2 Local board membership numbers ranging from five to nine; a total of 126 board Members

The Commission is required to ensure that wards for the election of 20 councillors to the Auckland Council provide effective representation of communities of interest in Auckland, as well as fair representation for electors.

To achieve this, the Commission is required to work on a ratio of population to councillor for each ward as being within +/-10% of the average for the district as a whole. As a result of this, each Auckland councillor is proposed to represent between 53,590 and 88,000 people.

The Commission believes the proposals represent the best balance between effective representation of communities of interest and fair representation for electors. When considering ward names, the Commission used existing names in the majority of areas concerned. In some cases new names which relate to prominent geographical features in the area have been proposed.

The Local Government Commission is now seeking feedback on its proposals, which can be viewed at www.lgc.govt.nz It is inviting suggestions that will improve the proposed arrangements. Suggestions should take account of the requirements of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009. www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2009/0032/29.0/096be8ed8045ec6b.pdf All submissions need to be received by the Commission by 5pm on Friday 11 December 2009

Ms Piper says the tight timeframe reflects the need to have all arrangements finalised by March 2010 in order to prepare for the local elections in October 2010.

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