Despite most of the 200 representation review submissions to the council last month being in favour of keeping an Arrowtown ward and councillor, yesterday's verbal submissions made arguments for both cases.
Speaking at the Lake Hayes Pavilion, three of the six submitters proposed to commissioners Michael Parker, of Queenstown, and Janice Hughes, of Wanaka, to scrap the Arrowtown ward and have it become part of the Wakatipu ward.
The Government's six-yearly review of council representation showed Arrowtown was just 200 residents short of having its own ward and representative, according to a 2006 census estimate.
Submissions from residents both inside and outside Arrowtown meant yesterday's hearing was required.
A strong proponent for amalgamation was Arrowtown resident and real estate agent Michael Tierney, who said having the Arrowtown ward had led to an insular Arrowtown community.
"A ward system creates an environment where people look very closely at their own affairs rather than looking at the wider community ... It can become narrow-minded.""The ability for Arrowtown to look at the wider aspect of the wider Wakatipu is diminished by the ward system as we just look at the issues of widening footpaths."
Mr Tierney acknowledged the ward system of the past had served the town well, but said it had come to the end of its useful life span.
He admitted having a dedicated councillor living in Arrowtown had the merit of protecting the historic precinct of the town.
He saw "no value" in having a community board as the representative groups often did not see eye to eye.
The Arrowtown Business Association and Arrowtown Village Association often differed in opinion and the latter had "lost its way over the last few years and become quite a self-serving sort of organisation", he said.
Arrowtown Business Association chairman Adin May was in favour of retaining the ward, citing the town as having both an "economic and historical significance" within the wider Wakatipu area.
Mr May said Destination Queenstown research had shown 20% of the 1.9 million visitors per year to Queenstown also visited Arrowtown.
"This means the town caters for 380,000 international and domestic visitors a year."
According to these figures, Arrowtown's contribution to the Queenstown Lakes area was disproportionate in relation to the size of the Arrowtown ward.
Mr May was surprised the council favoured abolishing the ward given it was "supporting the retention of the the Arrowtown boundary".
In his submission, Arrowtown resident John Lapsley said the council was in danger of making a basic error.
"Abolishing the Arrowtown ward is tantamount to disenchanting a whole town that does not wish to lose individual voting status.""A voteless community board is not a replacement."
Arrowtown had different values, interests and agendas to Queenstown and a combined ward was not a good alternative to a "strong advocate" for Arrowtown, he said.
A combined Wakatipu ward would be one of "convenience", he said.
Long-time Arrowtown resident and former district councillor Don Spary submitted to commissioners that Arrowtown residents would be disadvantaging themselves if they did not become part of a wider Wakatipu ward.
"If Arrowtown only realised the opportunity to be in the Wakatipu ward."
"I would think it is more important to have six councillors that you voted for whether they live in Kelvin Heights or wherever."
Mr Spary said Arrowtown, with or without a community board, had always been self-driven.
"We can achieve more with less formal instruction."
After submissions, Mr Parker said the speakers had made some strong points and given him some "food for thought".
The commissioners have until the end of the month to make their recommendation to the council.
