Representation review
The council is conducting a representation review, which it is required to do every six years. The last review was in 2018.
The review process includes public consultation to gather feedback from the community. Any changes in council representation will take effect for the 2025 triennial elections.
The review is crucial to ensure compliance with the Local Electoral Act 2001 (LEA) and the principles outlined in the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA).
In this review, the council must consider several key factors, including fair representation, effective representation, and communities of interest. Factors such as population data, demographic trends and projected population growth are all considered.
What we’re proposing
Elected members
Currently, our representation arrangements consist of 14 councillors, with six general constituencies and two Māori constituencies. In August 2023, the council reaffirmed its commitment to retaining Māori constituencies for electoral processes.
As part of the review, council decided to continue to have 14 elected members, six general constituencies and two Māori constituencies.
Constituency boundaries
When the latest population statistics are applied, we've found that the Waihou general constituency doesn't comply with the fair representation rule of +/- 10%. In practice, this means the Waihou general constituency is over-represented.
The Waihou constituency comprises the entirety of the South Waikato and Matamata-Piako districts, Arahiwi (a small area within the Rotorua Lakes district) and part of the Hauraki district.
On 24 April 2024, the council made an initial resolution on the representation review. Councillors voted 11-1 to modify the boundary of the Waihou constituency to include the Waihi and Paeroa rural areas—currently in the Thames-Coromandel constituency—to meet the requirements for fair representation. The initial resolution would involve approximately 2400 people from the Thames-Coromandel constituency being incorporated into the Waihou constituency.
The initial proposal is based on current representation arrangements to maintain continuity wherever possible. However, the primary focus lies in addressing the existing representation imbalance by modifying the northeastern boundary of the Waihou general constituency.
Looking ahead, council acknowledges that other constituencies may face similar issues in the coming years due to population growth and shift. While detailed 2023 census data won't be available until after the current representation review, the council intends to revisit arrangements as soon as legislatively possible to allow better alignment with insights from the census data. That is signalled to occur in 2027.
The opportunity to provide feedback closed on Friday, 7 June 2024.
Update
Ten submissions on the proposal were received, with three submitters being heard during the 25 July council meeting.
In a 12-2 vote, Waikato regional councillors adopted the proposed change to the Waihou constituency. Approximately 2400 people from the Thames-Coromandel constituency will be incorporated into the Waihou constituency ready for the 2025 local government elections.
The decision was publicly notified on 2 August, providing the opportunity for appeals to be lodged by submitters, with a final determination by the Local Government Commission.
If you made a submission on the initial proposal and wish to appeal the council’s decision, please see our Constituencies page for further details.
The opportunity for submitters to appeal on the final proposal closed on Friday, 6 September 2024.
No appeals were received. As such, the council decision to change the boundary of the Waihou and Thames-Coromandel constituencies becomes the basis of the next election in 2025. A public notice to this effect will be published as soon as practicable.