Introduction
Elections for your local council are held every three years so you can decide who will represent you. To achieve fair and effective representation, councils must review their representation arrangements at least once every six years. Our council’s last review was in 2018.
However, as a result of our recent decision to introduce a Māori ward, we are now required to take a fresh look at how many elected members there are and what communities they represent. Your feedback will help shape what representation in the Taupō District looks like going forward.
What is being reviewed as part of this process?
The aim of this representation review is to ensure fair and effective representation for our people and their communities that provides an effective voice and strengthens local democracy.
The scope of such representation reviews cover:
- how many councillors we should have
- which geographical areas they should represent
- the boundaries and name of our new Māori ward - Te Papamārearea
- whether we should have community boards
Please note that the decision to establish a Māori ward has already been made and is not in scope for this representation review.
As part of the review, we must identify the Taupō District’s communities of interest. Local Government Commission guidelines recognise a community of interest according to three criteria:
- perceptual – a sense of belonging to a clearly defined area or locality
- functional – the ability to meet with reasonable economy the community’s requirements for comprehensive physical and human services
- political – the ability of the elected body to represent the interests and reconcile the conflicts of all its members
We must then ensure effective representation of these communities of interest and take into account fair representation of electors - based on the plus-or-minus ‘10 percent rule’, which for our district means one Councillor for every 2,900 - 3,600 people.
