The Whakatāne District Council has welcomed the findings of the Local Government Commission on its Representation Review.
The Commission has confirmed the District’s present ward structure and number of elected Council members, but has ruled that there should be a single Whakatāne-Ōhope Community Board, comprising eight members elected by the community, plus two appointed members of Council representing the ward. Whakatāne and Ōhope currently have separate community boards, each with six elected members and one appointed Council representative.
The existing subdivision arrangements for the Murupara Community Board have also been confirmed.
Mayor Tony Bonne says the Commission’s findings regarding the Whakatāne-Ōhope Community Board offer a pragmatic way forward which addresses the concerns about representation raised by some submitters.
“Now that our representation arrangements have been decided, we can approach the forthcoming local government elections with certainty. I would encourage people to start thinking about getting involved in local democracy, because the strength of their Council and community boards depends upon having committed and talented people put themselves forward for election,” he says. “We also want to get more people involved as voters and we’ll be asking all eligible residents and non-resident property owners to make sure they are enrolled and return a postal vote. Your vote, your community – let’s make ‘Vote 2016’ count.”
The Local Government Commission's full findings on the matter are below.