The Whakatāne District Council will retain its current ward arrangements and number of elected members for the next two elections. The existing arrangements for the Rangitāiki, Tāneatua and Murupara Community Boards also continue, but the Council has decided to proceed with the amalgamation of the current Whakatāne and Ōhope Beach Community Boards.

At yesterday’s Extraordinary Council Meeting, 36 submissions on the review were heard, 28 of which opposed the proposed amalgamation of the community boards, while seven supported the proposal or were neutral. After considering the various submission points, the majority of Councillors felt that the concerns raised by submitters had not been substantiated.

Amongst the key reasons for continuing with the proposal were:

• Whakatāne and Ōhope have a common community of interest
• There was no compelling indication that an amalgamated Whakatāne-Ōhope Community Board would not be able to effectively advocate on behalf of Ōhope residents
• It was unlikely that Ōhope would be under-represented on the combined board and, therefore that there would be any negative impact on democratic arrangements
• The decision was consistent with other community boards, which represent several urban areas
• No other District ward has more than one community board
• A combined board would offer a more cohesive approach to community advocacy across the Whakatāne-Ōhope Ward

Councillors also noted that there had been repeated problems in gaining sufficient nominations for Community Board positions generally, and a combined Whakatāne-Ōhope board would reduce the likelihood of by-elections being required to fill the six available positions.

The Representation Review outcomes can be appealed by any submitter. The appeal period opens on 9 October and closes on 10 November.

More information about the process »

Any appeals received will be referred to the Local Government Commission, which will make a final determination on the District’s electoral arrangements in early 2016.