Regional council election nominations opening soon

21 Mar, 2022

People keen to make a difference and help continue to make Te Taitokerau a great place to live are being urged to consider running for a seat on the Northland Regional Council at this year’s local body elections.

In a change from previous elections, this year will be notable because as proposed it will see voters elect a nine-strong council that will include two Maori councillors representing Te Raki, a new regionwide Maori constituency.

Chair Penny Smart says the proposed changes have yet to be formally signed off by the Local Government Commission but include a specific Maori constituency which is designed to ensure Maori are at the decision-making table itself when the new council takes office later this year.

She says as proposed seven general councillors will be elected from seven general constituencies (one from each) and two Maori councillors elected from the region-wide Maori constituency (Te Raki), the latter with an electoral population of approximately 48,000.

The general constituencies will be Far North, Coastal Central, Coastal South, Kaipara, Mid North, Whangarei Central and Bay of Islands-Whangaroa.

Aside from the Te Raki constituency, which only those on the Maori electoral roll can vote for, other proposed key changes from the current model are:

· The proposed Whangarei Central general constituency is smaller and confined to the city centre. There will be a single councillor (instead of the current two) recognising that people living in Whangarei have easy access to the council’s main office, services and councillors unlike some more remote parts of the region.

· The outer fringes/suburbs of Whangarei are reflected in the surrounding constituencies.

· A new Mid North general constituency incorporating Hikurangi, Towai, Kawakawa and Moerewa to ensure these communities are well represented.

· A new general constituency specific to the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa area which has been identified as a clear community of interest and experiencing considerable growth.

The council says at its heart, the proposed changes are about how best to achieve fair and effective representation for Northlanders, within the legislative requirements councils are bound by.

Information for would-be candidates is expected to be released by the council in several months.