Waitaki electricity consumers will have a wealth of candidates to choose from later this month when they are asked to elect a new board of trustees for the Waitaki Power Trust.
The trust holds all 14 million shares in power lines company Network Waitaki, and at the close of trustee nominations yesterday, a total of eight candidates were registered to stand for election - double the number that stood for election last year.
The candidates will vie for four seats on the trust's five-member board.
Normally, three trustees retire each year and can offer themselves for re-election, but trust chairwoman Dr Helen Brookes said one more seat would be up for grabs this year.
''The reason for the four is that there is provision in new legislation for trustees of consumer trusts to approve a new trustee if a casual vacancy occurs during the term of the trust.''
Dr Brookes said because Jock Webster was appointed to the board of trustees during the year to replace the late Bill McKerrow, he would have to stand down and fight for re-election.
Network Waitaki is owned by the 12,150 consumers connected to the company's power lines between Shag Point, the Waitaki River and inland to the Hakataramea Valley and Ohau. Each year, the company pays out some of its profit in a discount to its consumers.
This year it paid out a total of $2.3 million to consumers, but Network Waitaki chief executive Graham Clark said it would not be just Network Waitaki customers that would be able to vote when election papers were sent out on August 9.
''All interested consumers that are on local electoral rolls will be covered, so it's more than a consumer. If you are living at an address that consumes electricity and on the electoral roll, you will get a vote, if you are over 18 years old.''
The eight registered nominees are: Anthony Brady, Graham Keep, Malcolm Mackenzie, Barry Monks, Dennis Norman, Douglas Ronaldson, Herbert Tonkin and John (Jock) Webster.
