Board representatives and other residents living on the fringes of the city pleaded their case - at times emotionally - at a hearing held by the Local Government Commission, which gets final say on changes to boards proposed by the Dunedin City Council.
The appellants were almost unanimous in opposing the main changes proposed by the council, which included reducing the number of community boards from six to five by merging the rural parts of the Mosgiel-Taieri and Strath Taieri into one rural community board area, and reducing membership - except for the new rural board - from six to five.
The council also proposed getting rid of wards and moving all councillors to an "at large'' voting system.
Opposition to a proposal to have Mosgiel no longer represented by a community board also came up repeatedly at the meeting.
Waikouaiti Coast Community Board chairman Gerard Collings made an at times emotional plea for the status quo to be retained, with his voice shaking as he said: "It saddens me that I fight for my community's representation in this way''.
His submission focused on the need for wards to be kept, saying Waikouaiti Coast was a separate community and it was important someone on the council had an understanding of the area.
He also pointed to "flaws'' in the process and questioned why Mayor Dave Cull was included on the representation review panel, given he had previously noted his preference for an "at large'' voting system.
Mr Cull defended the council's position at the meeting saying the panel found there had been a transition towards people taking a "whole of city view''.
Areas, like Mosgiel, had become more urban in recent years and subdivisions had popped up in many of the gaps between Mosgiel and the rest of the city.
There was also a "consistent message'' from residents they would prefer to be able to choose from all those who stood for council as opposed to only being able to vote for those who stood in their ward.
Mr Cull was asked by hearing chairwoman Janie Annear why the council had suggested Port Chalmers, which was largely urban, have a community board and Mosgiel not.
Mr Cull replied saying the panel indicated there should be a transition away from all community boards, but the "strongest case'' for the exclusion was Mosgiel.
Community Boards Executive Committee chairman Mick Lester, of Hastings, questioned why the conclusion had been reached that urban areas should not be part of community board areas.
Mosgiel was the "heart'' of the Taieri and served as a rural service centre for the area, and should stay represented by a community board.
Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board chairman Bill Feather said Mosgiel's position at the edge of the Taieri Plain linked it to the surrounding area and called for the retention of the board with its current boundaries.
However, the board differed from other appellants by supporting an "at large'' voting system.
Otago Peninsula Community Board chairwoman Christine Garey said removing Tomahawk and Ocean Grove from its board area could leave the areas with "little or no voice''.
Chalmers Community Board member Raewynne Pedofski spoke out against reducing the number of board members, saying it would be difficult covering such large geographical areas with only five members.
Saddle Hill Community Board chairman Scott Weatherall and member Pam Jemmett spoke against removing urban parts from the board area, including Fairfield.
Strath Taieri Community Board chairman Barry Williams summarised the position held by most appellants when he said: "If it ain't broke why fix it?''
He feared Strath Taieri, due to its small population, would not be represented on a proposed new rural board, which included parts of the Taieri.
Local Government Commission principal adviser Donald Riezebos said its decision could either agree to the council's proposal in total, agree to all the appeals, or decide on a mixture of the two.
