My Account
Rodney could be split into five subdivisions instead of four in next year’s local elections, if a proposal from the local board is adopted as part of an electoral representation review by Auckland Council.
Instead of the current Warkworth, Wellsford, Kumeu and Dairy Flat, there would be two new rural subdivisions – North Rural and South Rural – with smaller Warkworth and Kumeu areas and Dairy Flat staying much as it is.
Council’s principal governance advisor, Warwick McNaughton, told board members last month that changes to subdivisions would address a current non-compliance issue – as it is, Wellsford is effectively over-represented in population v. representation terms laid down by the Local Electoral Act.
Community groups Northern Action Group (NAG), Rodney Community Voices (RCV) and the Landowners & Contractors Association (LCA) have also been pushing for subdivision boundaries to be redrawn, in this instance to get better representation for rural residents.
At their March meeting, board members looked at the pros and cons of six options for a new look Rodney region – three suggested by council and three submitted by NAG, RCV and LCA.
RCV founder Glen Ashton said although the North and South Rural subdivisions were one of NAG’s suggestions, the three groups would much prefer a single large area instead.
“We all prefer one large rural subdivision, which is also supported by Councillor Greg Sayers and Chris Penk MP. Splitting the rural area is not favoured by any of us,” he said. “It would be an arbitrary line.”
Ashton added that subdivision lines were not just geographical.
“It’s nothing to do with a map, but communities of people. It will unify 95 percent of the rural community of Rodney facing lack of services and investment.
“There’s a population of 35,000 people that pays $50 million in rates every year, so it’s not just a few people. That’s a significant amount of Rodney; at least half.”
McNaughton said council staff could see merit in both NAG proposals in terms of joining together areas that identified as rural and that had common services and issues, but said board members were better able to assess the relative merits of each.
Several members voiced concerns that having one large rural area with the bulk of voters – and possibly candidates – in the south could skew the balance of representation against the north.
After considerable debate, members voted to support in principle the NAG option with North and South Rural subdivisions, subject to the Dairy Flat boundary being extended north and the Warkworth boundary south to the Johnstones Hill tunnels, and the Northern Rural eastern boundary being extended to south of Ahuroa. Members also expressed concern over the geographical size of the North Rural area for just one member to represent.
If the changes went ahead, there would be one local board member for North Rural, three for South Rural, two for Warkworth, two for Kumeu and one for Dairy Flat.
The final decisions on whether the changes will take place rest with council’s governing body and, ultimately, the Local Government Commission.
