Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council
What is a representation review?
All councils are required by law to review representation arrangements at least every six years to ensure our representation is fair and effective.
The Local Electoral Act 2001 sets out three things a regional council must cover in a representation review. They are:
- the number of electoral areas – constituencies (local councils use wards), and
- the boundaries of those constituencies and their names, and
- the number of Councillors to represent them.
Currently, we have seven constituencies, with two councillors elected from each one.
Due to population changes and other factors since our last review, the current constituencies do not meet the criteria for an even spread of population per councillor. The last time we did a review was 2018.
The final decision on representation arrangements will be in place ahead of the next local body elections in October 2025.
Note: Mana whenua representation is not included as part of the review. Our Council has two Ngāi Tahu Councillors who represent mana whenua interests across all of Waitaha/Canterbury. This was achieved through the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngāi Tahu Representation) Act 2022 and is not part of this consultation.
The proposal
“The most obvious and straightforward change we’re proposing is minor adjustments to our constituency boundaries in Christchurch/Ōtautahi to align them with Christchurch City Council ward boundaries following changes they made in 2022. This is required by legislation, and helps ensure consistency for residents,” said Deputy Chair, Craig Pauling.
“Our proposal to combine Ashburton District with the current South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency is based on population numbers, and getting these as close as possible to meet the local government criteria.
“It acknowledges the population growth in Selwyn/Waikirikiri and provides a more even ratio between population and Councillors, accounting for communities of shared interests,” said Pauling.
Submit your feedback
We invite the public to share their thoughts on our proposal and welcome feedback also on the new names we’ve proposed for these constituencies.
Find more detail on the proposal and make your submission at
Consultation closes on 2 September.
Previous representation decisions
In August 2023, the Council decided to use the first-past-the-post voting system for the 2025 and 2028 local elections.
In November 2023, the Council decided not to have a Māori constituency, believing that the best, most appropriate representation is direct representation by mana whenua.
In May 2024, the Council undertook preliminary engagement with three options to the community. The feedback was relatively evenly split between retaining the status quo, and creating the new constituency combining Ashburton District and the current South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency.
