Source: Auckland Council
Following recent public consultation, Auckland Council has now finalised a proposal to enhance representation across the region ahead of the 2025 local body elections.
On 26 September, Governing Body members agreed on the changes detailed in a final representation proposal. This came after considering public feedback on an initial proposal consulted on in August and hearings held in September.
It marks the next step in a lengthy process to ensure that Aucklanders in wards and local board electoral areas (subdivisions) are evenly represented through a ratio based on population. It aims to keep ‘communities of interest’ together and align wards with local board boundaries.
Community input has guided the review, with the council’s Joint Governance Working Party (JGWP) leading the work on early engagement, analysing feedback, hearing oral submissions, and recommending the best way forward.
Chair of the JGWP, Councillor Julie Fairey, says she’s pleased to reach an outcome that is shaped by submissions from Aucklanders.
“This has been a huge piece of work for staff and elected members, and the communities most impacted, and I want to thank them for their mahi. The submissions and feedback shaped the final proposal significantly, as can be seen in the recommendations for the Rodney subdivisions and keeping Parnell and Newmarket in the Ōrākei ward,” she says.
A total of 2,359 submissions were received during consultation, with 79 percent of those in favour of the changes proposed. These submissions can be viewed online at the representation AK Have Your Say webpage.
Nineteen local boards submitted in writing on the initial proposal, and eight local boards also elected to speak to the JGWP at formal hearings.
The final proposal provides minor changes to local board boundaries. It includes redrawn boundary lines in Rodney and new names for two Rodney subdivisions. There are adjustments to ward boundaries in central Auckland and a new subdivision and two additional board members for the Howick Local Board.
The council now enters a one-month period, once the final proposal has been publicly notified on Thursday 3 October, when objections and appeals can be made, in keeping with the Local Electoral Act 2001.
In early November, any appeals and objections that have been received will be referred to the Local Government Commission (LGC) to make an independent decision.
Aucklanders can expect to hear an outcome on the council’s proposal by April 2025, allowing time for changes to be introduced before next year’s council elections.
Earlier this year, the council explored whether combining a number of local boards could lead to better outcomes, but the Governing Body decided in June that more work is needed on this. Reorganisation will be reconsidered after the 2025 elections.
Meanwhile, the review has identified that more education is needed to improve community understanding of Auckland Council’s complex representation arrangements, the role of the Governing Body, elected members and each of the 21 local board areas. Aucklanders can expect to see new information online ahead of the elections at the council’s Vote Auckland Local Election site.
The final proposal includes these changes to current boundaries:
Central Auckland wards
The boundaries of the Waitematā and Gulf Ward, Ōrākei Ward, Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Ward and Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward will realign with local board boundaries with the exception of:
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Parnell and Newmarket to remain in Ōrākei ward
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St Johns to remain in the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki ward
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Eden Terrace to remain in the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward
North Shore wards
North Shore/ Albany wards – the boundary between the wards will move to include the Bayview area and align with the proposed local board boundary along Sunset Road.
Minor local board boundary changes
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Upper Harbour / Devonport-Takapuna – all of Saunders Reserve to be in Upper Harbour
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Kaipātiki / Upper Harbour:
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boundary will run along Sunset Road
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land near Kereru Reserve to Upper Harbour
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area near Bayview, north of Glendhu Road
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Kaipātikti Puketāpapa / Maungakiekie-Tāmaki – all of Taumanu Reserve to Maungakiekie-Tāmaki.
Rodney Local Board subdivisions
The boundary between the Northern Rodney and Southern Kaipara subdivisions has changed to include Kaukapakapa in the Southern Kaipara subdivision.
Howick Local Board subdivisions
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Howick, 3 members (no change)
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Pakuranga, 3 members (no change)
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Botany, 2 members (changed area)
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Flat Bush, 3 members (new subdivision).
Variances to the 10% rule
Decisions made to prioritise communities of interest, resulting in the number of people represented by each elected member in a subdivision area not being within 10 percent of the average for the whole local board area (the ideal population-based ratio):
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Hibiscus and Bays Local Board
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Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board
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Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board
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Franklin Local Board
Minutes for the Governing Body decision are online here.
