Feedback sought on Kāpiti Coast’s representation review

An amendment to the Waikanae Ward boundary is the major change put out for public consultation under the Kāpiti Coast District Council’s representation review.

As part of a six-yearly review of electoral arrangements in Kāpiti the council considered a working party’s recommendations at its meeting on 18 June and voted to stay with the status quo – except for one change to the Waikanae Ward boundary.

Mayor Ross Church says retaining the status quo, which is a mix of ward and district-wide councillors and four community boards, is familiar to voters, works well for a district the size of Kāpiti and gives residents a choice of elected members to approach.

However, under the proposal there is one “significant exception” to the ward boundaries status quo, which is in response to residents’ feedback, the mayor says.

“Engaging with the community as part of the working party review showed us the only significant area where change was sought was in Waikanae,” the mayor says. “There was a strong feeling from the residents about enlarging the Waikanae Ward boundary, so that’s what we’re proposing to do.”

The proposal says residents in Huia Street and Reikorangi can be in the Waikanae Ward area as well as the Waikanae Community Board area – this was not the case previously with those residents being within the Ōtaki Ward area.

Under the proposal the district’s 10 councillors and one mayor will be retained – five councillors will be elected on a district-wide basis and five councillors to be elected from the current four wards (one councillor each from Ōtaki, Waikanae, and Paekākāriki-Raumati wards and two councillors from the larger Paraparaumu Ward).

There will also be four community boards covering the district, each with four members, and for Ōtaki, Waikanae, and Paekākāriki Community Boards, one ward councillor will be appointed back, and for the Paraparaumu-Raumati Community Board two ward councillors will be appointed back.

“The objective of the review is to ensure fair and effective representation for individuals and communities in Kāpiti. Ward councillors together with community boards help support avenues for addressing local grassroots issues. This is one of the key milestones in the in the representation review process and marks the start of a formal consultation period,” Mayor Church says.

The changes proposed mean the council will have to refer the matter to the Local Government Commission at the end of the process for their final decision.

The council is seeking submission from the community on the representation review decision by 5pm Friday 31 July 2015.