Every six years, we’re required to take a fresh look at Napier’s representation arrangements, and now it's your chance to be part of the process. Take a look at our options for Napier’s future local democracy arrangements, and let us know what your preference is.
Elections for councils are held every three years. This is when residents vote for mayors and councillors, and in some parts of New Zealand, for community board members and local board members.
Councils are required by the Local Electoral Act 2001 to take a fresh look at their representation arrangements at least once every six years. This is to ensure the council is structured to best serve the interests and needs of its community.
For Napier, this means we need to consider:
We undertook a community survey on this matter in late 2023, including analysis to identify communities of interest in Napier. Council considered the community’s feedback and analysis, and based on this, we are now considering five potential options for Napier’s future local democracy arrangements. We now want to know which one is your preferred option out of these five.
The following five options are potentially what Napier could introduce as its new representation arrangements. All options include one mayor. Please read the information about each option below, then complete the survey before 5pm, Friday 24 May to tell us which option is your preferred one. If you need assistance or would like to complete a hard copy version of the survey, please see the friendly teams at our Customer Service Centre, Napier Library or Taradale Library.
The same considerations apply as for option 2 above. The difference is this option provides two extra ‘at large’ representatives.
Having some councillors elected at large may provide a balance between representation of district-wide interests and local concerns. It means that residents can vote for more than just their ward councillor(s), as they can also vote for councillors being elected at-large.
The same considerations apply as for option 4 above. The difference is this option provides two extra ‘at large’ representatives.
Having some councillors elected at large may provide a balance between representation of district-wide interests and local concerns. It means that residents can vote for more than just their ward councillor(s), as they can also vote for councillors being elected at-large.
For all options above, there is the possibility of having either one Māori ward with two councillors, or two Māori wards with one councillor each. We are proposing to have one Māori ward with two representatives for the following reasons.
We considered proposing two Māori wards - one smaller ward, which has a high percentage of Māori electoral population and one larger ward with a similar percentage of Māori electoral population. Although this arrangement would reflect where a high percentage of Māori electoral population lives, it may result in uneven numbers of candidates standing in each ward, or no-one standing in one of the wards. There is also an increased chance that a candidate gets in without any competition. You will have a chance to let us know what you think about the single Māori ward proposal during formal consultation in July.
See further information below about why Māori wards are included in this Representation Review.
Some local authorities have community boards, which have functions and powers delegated to them by their councils. They act in the interests of their community and liaise with organisations and special interest groups in their community on council matters. The cost of community boards is funded through rates, and therefore would be an additional cost to ratepayers.
Currently Napier doesn’t have any community boards. In our November 2023 survey, we asked the community whether introducing community boards would be appropriate for Napier. There was positive feedback from communities based in and near Maraenui to establish a community board there.
Council is considering a community board for this area because it is a distinct area with unique needs. A community board would help Napier City Council understand and meet those needs. The proposed community board would have functions and powers delegated to it by Council. The board’s role would be to represent the interests of the community in areas in and close to Maraenui. Tell us what you think by completing the survey here.
There are many potential options for Napier’s representation arrangements.
In coming up with an appropriate option, we need to consider:
Your rates won’t be affected if the number of councillors increases or decreases. The total pool of remuneration for Councillors is determined by an independent government agency. Napier City Council will have the same amount of money to pay its elected members, no matter how many there are.
If Napier decides to introduce a community board(s), this would be a cost to the ratepayer. The cost would depend on how many board members there are, and how the board is set up. Typically, the costs would be between $16,000 and $55,000 per year for a community board with around four elected members and servicing an area with the population of Maraenui and surrounds. This cost would be met by ratepayers from across the city.
In 2021, Napier City Council consulted with the community on whether to introduce Māori wards to Napier. Following this consultation, Council made the decision to introduce Māori wards at the 2025 local authority elections. This means we also need to confirm how many Māori wards and councillors for these wards Napier should have, so we’re ready for the next local authority election.
The Government is introducing legislation requiring local authorities to hold a binding poll if they want to establish Māori wards. The Government’s proposed legislation means that because NCC established Māori wards without a poll, we will have to either rescind that decision, or hold a poll at the 2025 election. The poll would ask the community whether we should keep Māori wards beyond the 2025-2028 triennium. If the community’s answer is no, then Māori wards will be removed from the 2028 election. A further representation review would need to be completed before 2028.
Adopting a ward-based system for electing councillors:
The “at large” option can:
Note: In Napier, we are unable to have a fully ‘at large’ arrangement, due to the introduction of Māori wards. We can have wards-only, or a mixed system (see below).
A mixed system, where some councillors are elected to represent wards and some are elected at large:
All elected members, regardless of the area they are elected to represent, make the same declaration to act in the best interests of the whole district. There is no difference in the decision-making role of elected members elected at large and members elected to a ward. Ward and at large members do, however, continue to represent the areas they are elected from at the council table.
A resident can ask any councillor for help and is not limited to their local ward councillors, if under a ward system.
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