Marlborough Sounds representation could be cut

Councillors representing residents along one-fifth of New Zealand’s coast fear their numbers will drop under a review.

The Marlborough District Council has confirmed the number of Marlborough Sounds ward councillors will drop from three to two if it uses population to decide how many councillors there should be.

It comes as part of a wider review to ensure changes to the region's population are being reflected through its elected officials.

Council electoral officer Dean Heiford says the easiest option is to use a population formula to determine the number of councillors that should be elected to sit at the council table.

Marlborough District Council electoral officer Dean Heiford says the region's review of representation could lead to several outcomes. Photo: Chloe Ranford/LDR.

According to the Local Electoral Act ward councillors are supposed to represent about the same number of people from each area.

But figures from the last local body election show each Marlborough Sounds ward councillor represent about 2200 voters – well below Wairau-Awatere ward councillors, with 2750 voters a head, and Blenheim ward councillors, with 2740.

In the past, the council argued the Marlborough Sounds ward is an isolated community which warrants a third councillor. But the Local Government Commission suggests the council ran this year’s review from scratch to ensure components had not changed.

“The Local Government Commission have support three councillors in the past ... but it’s getting harder and harder to argue the ward is isolated, because many residents now have internet access, better roads, and come into towns to shop.

“If we use a population formula, there wouldn't be three Marlborough Sounds councillors. Let's be blunt about that.”

He says two councillors better represented the Sounds' population.

But the council has not decided which path to take.

It needs to decide before June if the region should continue to be represented by three wards; if the names of the wards should change, if the number of ward councillors should change, or if councillors should be elected by the whole region.

Marlborough is currently represented by three wards: the Marlborough Sounds ward, in purple; the Wairau-Awatere ward, in pink; and the smaller Blenheim ward, in green. Photo: MDC/Supplied.

Marlborough Sounds ward councillor Barbara Faulls fears if the ward drops to two councillors then its more remote communities would “suffer” through a lack of representation.

“There's a lot going on. Two councillors would not be able to efficiently do the job that we're elected to do ... If anything, I'd suggest we should go back to having four ward councillors.”

Barbara says the ward covers a huge geographical area.

Giving an example, Barbara says she attended two community meetings over the Easter weekend – one in Kenepuru Sound, a two-hour return drive from her home in Linkwater, and one in Pelorus Sound, a five-hour return drive. The residents she visited in the Pelorus Sound had mobile coverage in two areas.

Fellow councillor David Oddie says he is unsure how the ward – with its vast size, “complex issues” and isolated communities – could be serviced by two councillors.

“I understand that democracy has got to be fair, but we've got seven councillors representing Blenheim, when the furtherest those councillors have to drive is to the council chambers.”

Sounds councillor and deputy mayor Nadine Taylor declined to comment on the issue as she is one of three councillors overseeing consultation on the review, alongside the mayor.

Options will be taken to the council before the end of May, with the chosen option going out for feedback in July or August.

Marlborough mayor John Leggett said in a statement the councillors planned to get out and chat with the public.

“We want to hear what people think about how we elect councillors ... This formula and how it affects Marlborough is key, especially with [the] recent demographic changes here.”

After reviewing the submissions, councillors will make a decision on Marlborough’s wards, which could be appealed. The Local Government Commission would have the final say.

The last time the council ran a review, in 2015, it was asked to cut the number of Sounds’ ward councillors from three to two by the public. The Local Government Commission decided to stick to three councillors for the Sounds’ ward.