Possible changes to the way the Queenstown Lakes District Council is composed and whether the Wanaka Community Board should be retained were discussed yesterday by the council.
The council will discuss changes to electoral wards, community boards and representation with the community.
After more than an hour of discussion yesterday, the council received a report on the representation review, and the matter is to come back to the next council meeting.
A working party was established in June to begin the review, and the recommendation it put before the council yesterday included Gibbston's being taken from the Queenstown-Wakatipu ward and included in Arrowtown; the Wanaka Community Board being retained and increased to five elected members, up from four; that a targeted rate for the Wanaka Community Board be introduced; and that a rural advisory board be formed.
It was not supported by the council.
The Local Electoral Act 2001 requires local authorities to review their representation arrangements at least once every six years. The council last completed a review in 2006 and is required to complete the next review by August this year. It must also determine the basis of election: whether its councillors are elected under the "ward" or "at large" (district-wide) electoral system, or a combination of both.
The council must also review the structure and membership of its community boards.
The future of the Wanaka Community Board drew much discussion, including the issue of a targeted rate; not something the council could examine under the agenda item.
The report to the council, prepared by council regulatory and corporate services general manager Roger Taylor and working party chairman Michael Parker, said the working party "understands the passion and commitment that the Wanaka community has for its board, and has looked for a way it can be retained".
"It is the strong view of the working party that the community board ... plays a vital role in bringing the views of the community to council. However, with the increase in representation for Wanaka required ... and thus the increase required in the membership of the community board ... the working party must take into account the inequity of representation for Wanaka versus other communities in the district."
Using Statistics New Zealand population statistics, Wanaka would have nine elected representatives - four councillors and five community board members - while Wakatipu would have six councillors, plus one for Arrowtown.
The report said the introduction of a targeted rate would allow the "community as a whole to support the continued work of the board".
Cr Cath Gilmour said the Wanaka Community Board "seems a little bit like a sacred cow" and the council had to discuss the question, "Has the ... board passed its use-by date?"
Cr Leigh Overton, of Wanaka, said at the last review the three Wanaka councillors were in favour of having four district councillors and "no community board", and "that debate needs to be had again".
Other options discussed yesterday included removing the Arrowtown ward councillor and installing an Arrowtown Community Board; or adding Gibbston to the Arrowtown ward so Arrowtown met the threshold for an elected representative; or moving to an "at large" electoral system, with six people elected for the Wakatipu area and three for Wanaka.
