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‘Extra Layer Of Bureaucracy’: New Community Board Faces Criticism
A Canterbury council is creating a new community board, despite opposition from some residents' groups who say it will be a burden on ratepayers.
The Hurunui district’s south ward will get its own community board, which includes Amberley.
Councillors voted 6-3 to establish the board in the 2025 local government elections, following its representation review.
This was despite opposition from residents’ groups, who preferred the existing south ward committee structure. Fourteen of the 22 submissions also opposed change.
Speaking at Tuesday’s (June 11) council meeting, Amberley District Residents’ Association chairperson Roy Myers said the south ward committee ‘‘gives reasonable coverage to the residents and interests of the area’’.
The committee comprised nine community members elected at its first meeting in a council term, plus the four ward councillors and the mayor.
Community members included representatives of residents’ associations, the Amberley Reserves Advisory Group, a youth representative and three independent members.
Mr Myers said funding the remuneration of community board members would place an unnecessary burden on ratepayers.
‘‘The ward committee has been constrained by debt and I don’t think creating a community board will resolve that.’’
South ward committee member Alex Clyne said he believed a community board would ‘‘create an extra layer of bureaucracy’’.
Joanne Hassall, who chairs the south ward committee and represents the Leithfield Community Centre, also made a submission opposing the establishment of a community board.
But Amberley resident Alec Baxter spoke in favour, saying he believed a community board would be open to wider representation.
‘‘How would the rural community or the business sector go about getting a representative on the ward committee?’’
He did not believe it would create an extra layer of bureaucracy, as residents would be able to ‘‘go straight to the board, rather than having to go through a residents’ group’’.
Mayor Marie Black and councillor Pauline White voted against establishing the community board, saying it would take away the ability to have a youth representative.
Councillors Gary Jackson and Vanessa McPherson voted in favour, saying it was ‘‘more democratic’’ and elected board members would be accountable to the whole community.
The new south ward community board will comprise five elected members elected at large, plus the four south ward councillors and the mayor.
The council is set to increase the south ward’s amenity rate in the Long Term Plan to help pay off its debt.
Remuneration of board members would cost $36,078 a year, or $20 per south ward ratepayer per year.
The council voted to retain its existing ward structure of four councillors for the south ward, four in the west ward and two in the east ward, plus the mayor.
The Hanmer Springs Community Board has also been retained.
Local Democracy Reporting
Content from the Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) service is published by Scoop as a registered New Zealand Media Outlet LDR Partner.
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