Every six years councils must review how communities are represented in the make-up of their council. A representation review looks at the structures in place, including:

• the number of constituencies (electoral areas) and their boundaries
• the number of elected members (councillors) representing each constituency

The representation review cannot change the people who are currently elected but it may increase the number of councillors - 14 is the maximum number of councillors a regional council can have.

The last representation review for Otago Regional Council was completed in 2018. No changes were made to the existing constituencies or number of councillors.

Representation reviews require Council to look at three key concepts:

• Communities of interest: to identify what communities of interest exist across the district, which is relevant to determining the number and boundaries of constituencies
• Effective representation of communities of interest: to identify what’s the best structure to maintain access and representation that recognises these communities of interest, which is relevant to determining the number of members
• Fair representation of electors: to ensure that each councillor should represent roughly the same number of people, which is relevant for ensuring equality of representation per member.

Current arrangement

The Otago Regional Council is made up of 12 Councillors, elected from four constituencies:

Further Information

Copies of the Council’s resolution and maps setting out the areas of the proposed constituencies may be viewed and obtained from:

• Otago Regional Council Dunedin office: 144 Rattray Street, Level 2, Philip Laing House, Dunedin
• Otago Regional Council Queenstown office: 1092 Frankton Road, Alta House Level 1/Terrace Junction, Frankton, Queenstown

Any queries regarding the Council’s decision should be directed to:
governance@orc.govt.nz