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Council Representation Review
We're proposing changes to the way your communities are represented.
With significant growth in Central Otago/Queenstown Lakes, the Otago Regional Council is proposing reducing the number of councillors in Dunedin by one and adding one to the Dunstan constituency.
Update 12 December 2024
We have received two appeals to our proposed changes, from DCC and QLDC. These appeals have been forwarded to the Local Government Commission.
A hearing, run by the Local Government Commission, will be held on Tuesday, 4 March 2025. Under Section 19R of the Local Electoral Act, the Commission’s role is to consider and determine appeals and objections relating to a local authority's representation proposals for or the next triennial (every three years) local elections.
Council will have an opportunity to present our decision and how we got to that, the Commission will then hear from appellants, and then Council will have a right of reply.
The hearings will be livestreamed.
The Commission will then make their decision, and we will be advised of this before April 2025. This will then be the basis for the 2025 elections.
Following feedback from the community earlier in the year, Council has decided on their initial proposal for representation for the upcoming local government elections in 2025.
The Otago Regional Council is proposing to reduce the number of Dunedin councillors by one and add one councillor to the Dunstan constituency. This is due to significant population growth in the Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes areas.
The proposed changes will affect the Dunedin and Dunstan constituencies.
| Constituency | Communities of interest |
| Dunedin Constituency |
Comprising the comprising central Dunedin and the Waikouaiti Coast, West Harbour, Otago Peninsula and Saddle Hill community board areas located within the Dunedin City territorial area. |
| Dunstan Constituency |
Comprising the Central Otago District and Queenstown Lakes District territorial areas. |
Based on the the initial proposal, the population that each member will represent is as follows:
| Constituency | Population | Members | Population per member |
|
Dunedin Constituency |
115,200 |
5 |
23,040 |
|
Dunstan Constituency |
78,800 |
4 |
19,700 |
In accordance with section 19V(2) of Local Electoral Act 2001, the population that each member represents must be within the range of 21,217 +/- 10% (19,096 – 23,338), unless particular community of interest considerations justify otherwise.
All of the proposed constituencies fall within the stipulated range.
Use our map below if you're unsure which Otago constituency you reside in (if you're on a mobile device, you can tap on the blue 'Map' button to expand the map).
Enter your address to find which constituency you live in. Note addresses are not saved.
Constituencies in Otago
|
Constituency |
Communities of interest |
|
Moeraki Constituency |
Comprising the Otago portion of the Waitaki District territorial area, being part of the Ahuriri and Corriedale wards, and the entirety of the Oamaru ward and Waihemo ward. |
|
Dunedin Constituency |
Comprising the comprising central Dunedin and the Waikouaiti Coast, West Harbour, Otago Peninsula and Saddle Hill community board areas located within the Dunedin City territorial area. |
|
Dunstan Constituency |
Comprising the Central Otago District and Queenstown Lakes District territorial areas. |
|
Molyneux Constituency |
Comprising the Clutha District territorial area and Mosgiel-Taieri and Strath-Taieri community board areas located within the Dunedin City territorial area. |
The population that each member will represent is as follows:
|
Constituency |
Population
|
Members |
Population per member |
|
Moeraki Constituency |
22,300 |
1 |
22,300 |
|
Dunedin Constituency |
115,200 |
5 |
23,040 |
|
Dunstan Constituency |
78,800 |
4 |
19,700 |
|
Molyneux Constituency |
38,300 |
2 |
19,150 |
|
Total |
254,600 |
12 |
21,217 |
In accordance with section 19V(2), Local Electoral Act 2001 the population that each member represents must be within the range of 21,217 +/- 10% (19,096 – 23,338), unless particular community of interest considerations justify otherwise.
All of the proposed constituencies fall within the stipulated range.
Submissions are public information. Your submission will be published and made available to elected members and the public.
Please note that you should not include any personal information in the open text fields of the submission if you do not wish it to be public.
Your name and contact details such as your email address and phone number (if provided) are collected by the Otago Regional Council so that we can contact you to:
- Acknowledge receipt of your submission, and
- Provide you with information about when and where a Council meeting will be held to consider the submissions received on the initial proposal, and how you will have the opportunity (if you wish) to be heard at that meeting.
Your contact details will also be used by staff for administration of the consultation process and will be available to councillors should they wish to contact you about your submission.
You can choose to speak to your submission in person at a hearing that is expected to be held in mid to late September (you will need to select this option below).
Submissions closed Sunday, 8 September 2024.
You can read the Otago Regional Council Privacy Statement on our website. This outlines how we will hold and protect the personal information you provide.
The Council meeting, like the submissions made on the initial proposal, is likely to be considered in a public forum. If you believe there are good reasons why your submission should be kept confidential, please contact us at governance@orc.govt.nz and we will consider your request and advise you of the outcome within three working days.
The public was in invited to have their say on the Council’s representation initial proposal and any other suggestions they had about councillor numbers or ward boundaries.
Submissions closed Sunday, 8 September 2024.
