My Account
With local body elections looming, and nominations opening next month, it is already clear there will be big changes at local board level, and fierce competition for the Rodney and Albany Ward seats.
The Hibiscus & Bays Local Board, our local arm of Council, is made up of two divisions – Hibiscus and East Coast Bays.
Each division has four members and in the Hibiscus subdivision, which represents this area, three of the four current members are not standing for re-election this term.
Deputy chair Greg Sayers, who is also a member of the Rodney Local Board, has chosen to focus instead on standing for the position of Rodney Councillor and both Gaye Harding and Lovisa Rasmussen are not standing again, for personal reasons.
Janet Fitzgerald is the only current member standing for re-election to the Hibiscus subdivision of the local board.
Lisa Whyte, who is a member of both the Bays subdivision of Hibiscus & Bays Local Board, and Upper Harbour Local Board, is standing against Councillors Wayne Walker and John Watson in Albany Ward (which covers the Hibiscus Coast), as part of the Auckland Future team. She is also standing again for Upper Harbour Local Board, following new regulations that preclude being elected to more than one local board (see below).
Rodney Local Board member Steve Garner will also stand against current Councillor Penny Webster in Rodney Ward.
Cr Webster has held the position for two terms and was mayor of Rodney District Council for one term.
Candidate nominations are open from July 15 until August 12. Candidates will be publicly notified on August 17 and voting day is October 8.
Info: lgnz.co.nz/vote2016
Law changed to enhance integrity of local boards
A new law has come into force that prevents representatives from serving on multiple local boards at one time.
Out of the five local board members who are reportedly affected by the bill, one sits on the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board (Lisa Whyte) and three sit on the Rodney Local Board: Greg Sayers, Warren Flaunty, who also sits on the Henderson-Massey board and John McLean, who sits on the Upper Harbour board.
The law comes into effect for the elections in October. It won’t stop candidates from standing for more than one local board, but they will only be entitled to hold one elected board position.
When candidates stand for multiple local boards they must publicly specify the local boards they are standing for, and rank them in order of priority in the event they are successfully elected to more than one board.
