Kawerau District Council is committed to ensuring fair and effective representation for our community. Council is completing a representation review following the introduction of Māori ward/s in November 2023. The review means we are examining the current council structure, which includes eight (8) councillors and the Mayor.

We are seeking your valuable feedback on our initial proposal, which aims to ensure each member represents a balanced number of constituents and can effectively advocate for their interests. 

As per the Local Electoral Act, please view the Notice of Representation Review Initial Proposal here as of Monday, 22 July 2024 when the special consultative process begins.  

The submission period will close at 5pm on Monday 26 August 2024.

A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday 11 September 2024.

To make a submission please use this link.

The initial proposal Council adopted on 17 July 2024 for consultation is: 

• Maintain eight (8) councillors and the Mayor 

• Mixed system (combination model) comprising:

  • the Mayor elected 'at large' (district wide)

  • two (2) councillors elected ‘at large’ (district-wide) 

  • Kawerau Māori Ward: represented by three (3) Māori ward councillors, with the ward boundaries aligning with the district’s boundaries (see map)

  • Kawerau General Ward: represented by three (3) general ward councillors, with the ward boundaries aligning with the district's boundaries (see map)   

• No community board 

Formal notification of Representation Arrangement Review Initial Proposal

Map of Kawerau:

Submissions are now open

Council adopted the initial proposal on Wednesday, 17 July 2024 and will now complete the formal engagement and consultation process. The submission period is from Monday 22 July to Monday 26 August 2024. 

Please use this link to fill out the submission form. 

Or email submissions@kaweraudc.govt.nz or drop in your written submission to the Council Office, isite or library 

Throughout the submission period Council will carry out 'drop-in' sessions and presentations so that the community can have a better understanding and can make a formal submission. If you wish to contact Council for more information or for any assistance to make a submission, please phone 07 306 9009 or email info@kaweraudc.govt.nz 

Consultation meeting dates:  

Please note, further meeting dates will be added once confirmed and will be made available on this page. 

If you cannot attend any sessions but have some questions please refer to our FAQ Page on our website.

What is a representation review?

Every six years councils must review how communities are represented in the make-up of their council. As council introduced Māori wards in November 2023, this means we must carry out a representation review to look 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 names of our General and Māori constituencies.

The review of representation arrangements must be an appropriate reflection of the district’s communities of interest and comprises the following decisions:

• Whether Council keeps the current standing of: one mayor, eight councillors which was supported by 75% of the respondents in the early engagement process;

• No community board/s - 70% of the feedback from the early engagement stated that elected members and the Mayor can and do effectively represent the community without duplication of roles and the extra cost that a community board would entail. 

• Currently, there are no wards as the Mayor and councillors are elected ‘at large’ from the entire district. However, this will change for 2025 following the decision to introduce Māori ward(s) in November 2023. This will result in one or more Māori ward(s) and general ward(s). 

Māori representation is being introduced based on the Local Electoral Act 2001 (LEA) legislative formula using Māori and general electoral populations (not electors):

nmm = mepd / (mepd + gepd) x nm 

where -

So, with the statistics above and the current arrangements (of a Mayor plus eight councillors), the calculation [nmm= 3,430/(3,430+4,390)*8] would provide for four1 Māori ward councillors and four general ward councillors. Both the Māori ward and general ward councillors can be elected from 1-4 wards.

The total electoral population is 7,820.

Kawerau District - total number of electors eligible to vote as of 2022 is 5,125 

Please note: this number will likely increase in the 2025 elections due to the population growth. 

Fair and effective representation

Council must ensure their communities have fair and effective representation.

Fair representation means each elected member represents about the same number of people (within +/- 10 percent of the region's population divided by the total number of Councillors).

Effective representation relates to the Councillors’ ability to represent their constituency and ensure matters important to their electorate are heard.

Timeline of the Representation Review 2024:

• Council workshop 1 (overview)                                                          21 Feb 2024
• Preliminary community engagement                                                  April-May 2024
• Council workshop 2 (summary of consultation, scenarios)               19 June 2024
• Council Workshop 3 (further information re mixed combination)       10 July 2024
• Extraordinary Meeting (resolve initial proposal)                                 17 July 2024
• Public notice of initial proposal                                                           22 July 2024
• Submission period                                                                              22 July-26 Aug 2024
• Extraordinary Meeting: Submission Hearing                                      11 Sept 2024
• Council workshop 4 (summary of submissions/deliberations)            18 Sept 2024
• Council meeting (final proposal resolution)                                        25 Sept 2024 
• Public notice of final proposal                                                            30 Sept 2024
• Appeal/objection period                                                                      30 Sept–4 Nov 2024
• LGC hearing placeholder (if required)                                                30 January 2025
• LGC determination (if required)                                                          by 10 April 2025
• Triennial Elections and poll on Māori wards                                      11 October 2025

If you have any other questions, please view our FAQ Page on our website. 

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