News Release

Friday 20 March 2015

Community reps appointed for Rotorua pre-election review

Rotorua Lakes Council has announced the appointment of three community representatives to join the council’s Representation Review Working Party.

They are former Daily Post deputy editor Jill Nicholas, member of parliament electorate agent Aroha Bray, and retired Methodist minister Brian Eagle.

They will join councillors Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, Charles Sturt and Tania Tapsell on the council’s six-person working party.

The representation review is a requirement of the Local Electoral Act and has to be undertaken by all councils every six years.

This year’s review will look at matters ahead of the next local government elections in 2016, including the number of councillors to be elected, whether or not there should be community boards, and whether councillors should be elected by wards, ‘at large,’ or by a combination of both.

Representation Review Working Party chair, Councillor Merepeka Raukawa Tait, said the working party would lead an active community engagement process for the review over the next few months.

“As a working party we’ll be engaging with residents to hear their different perspectives, assessing the community feedback we receive, researching what’s happening elsewhere, then making recommendations for the council to consider.

“Ultimately the mayor and councillors will need to formally decide on the final representation arrangements to apply for the 2016 and 2019 local government elections.”

ENDS

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