Auckland Council’s initial proposal for a review on how local residents want to be represented is open for submissions.
Aucklanders can go online to find out more about the proposed changes and give feedback until 4pm, Thursday, August 8.
Through the review, the council is looking to maintain the current number of wards and councillors, while adjusting some ward boundaries in central and north Auckland.
The number of local boards and their elected members stay the same except for Howick, where two more local board members are proposed to account for growth.
There are also proposed subdivision changes in Howick and Rodney to provide more even representation for communities.
“Auckland Council has been around for nearly 15 years and it’s timely to get your views on how our elected member structure could improve,” says councillor Julie Fairey, chair of the Joint Governance Working Party.
“We know it’s a pretty complicated machine from the outside, so check out the background information and feel free to contact your local reps for a chat too.”
Once consultation closes on August 8, the council will review feedback and allow anyone who wishes to speak about their submission to be heard in September.
Any necessary changes will then be made before the public is notified of a final proposal in October.
A small number of Aucklanders will be directly affected by proposed boundary and subdivision changes, potentially moving them from one ward, local board, or local board subdivision to another, which changes who will represent them.
The council wants to hear from people in those areas to find out if they support change.
The opportunity to consider how residents are represented may not happen again until 2030.
The council is also asking Aucklanders now how they want to be represented in the future to ensure the structure is fair, effective and keeps pace with Auckland’s growth.
Find out more:
Read the initial proposal online
View public notice of the initial proposal
Attend online information and in-person events throughout July
Give feedback online at www.akhaveyoursay.nz/represent or email representationreview@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
