Nelsonians have an opportunity to shape the way our local democracy works with a survey to inform Nelson City Council’s Representation Review that opened yesterday (Friday 11 June).

Every six years, local authorities are required to review their representation arrangements, potentially changing the number of councillors, the way they are voted for and the areas they represent.

This representation review has added significance because Nelson City Council has resolved to establish a Māori ward for the 2022 local elections.

Establishing a Māori ward means Nelson must also establish one or more general wards and agree on their boundaries and names. This will involve determining whether councillors are elected only by wards, or whether a mixed system is used where the Council is made up of some ward-based Councillors, and some “at large” councillors voted for by the whole city.

Group Manager Strategy and Communications Nicky McDonald said an important consideration for the review will be achieving balanced and fair representation for everyone in Nelson, regardless of the electoral roll they happen to be on.

“Fairness and effectiveness are fundamental requirements for any representation proposal.”

The review also considers whether Nelson should have community boards and, if so, the number of boards, their names and boundaries, and the number of members.

Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese encouraged people to take this opportunity to help shape the way our local democracy works.

“This is a chance to influence how you are represented as a community, which is a key part of any democracy. In 2022 I will be encouraging everyone to get out and vote, but this year I want as many people as possible to give feedback to help shape the representation review.”

Take our Representation Review survey, and let us know what you think about local government representation structures for Nelson City Council at: https://shape.nelson.govt.nz/representation-review.

Hardcopies of the survey are available at our Customer Service Centre and public libraries.

Consultation closes on 11 July 2021.

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