Whakatū Nelson will move forward with a plan for a new, mixed voting two-ward model for the 2022 local government elections, in addition to a Māori ward. Read the media release here.
On 19 October 2021, Nelson City Council adopted the proposal that the Nelson City Council will consist of a Mayor and 12 councillors; with two General Wards being established, along with the previously adopted Whakatū Māori Ward. This proposal is subject to no appeals during the four week notification period.
The population per ward councillor can be seen in the table below.
| Members | Population per Ward councillor |
At large (All voters) | Mayor Three councillors | N/A N/A |
Central Ward (General roll) | Four councillors | 6,458 |
Stoke-Tahunanui Ward (General roll) | Four councillors | 6,370 |
Whakatū Māori Ward (Māori roll) | One councillor | 3,320 |
The wards are broken down as follows:
Central Ward – comprises the northern, central and eastern parts of the region (and adjacent inlets as well as Waimea Inlet south of Nelson Airport).
Stoke-Tāhunanui Ward – comprises the southern urban part of the region.
Whakatū Māori Ward - encompasses the full Nelson city electoral boundary for those on the Māori electoral roll.
People on the general roll will be able to vote for the Mayor and four general ward councillors in their ward, in addition to three “at large” councillors.
People on the Māori roll will be able to vote for the Mayor, one Māori ward councillor and three “at large” councillors.
Council’s decision will be publicly notified for four weeks to allow for appeals by submitters to the initial proposal.
Any appeals received will be provided to the Local Government Commission for determination. If appeals are received, a final decision on Council’s representation arrangements will be made by the Commission by April 2022.
The council agenda for the representation review can be read here.
Every three years elections are held for local authorities. This includes for mayors, councillors and community board members (where a community board has been established). These are often called ‘the triennial local authority elections’.
In order to achieve fair and effective representation at these elections, local authorities are required by the Local Electoral Act 2001 to review their representation arrangements at least once every six years.
Read the initial media release about the representation review here.
In June and July, we undertook pre-engagement, to understand what people thought about wards and community boards.
Using this public feedback, and taking into account the requirements under the Local Electoral Act 2001, an initial representation proposal was recommended to Council on 12 August 2021.
The report can be found in the meeting agenda here.
The media release following the meeting can be found here.
FAQ
Initial proposal for representation arrangements for the 2022 local elections
On 12 August 2021 the Nelson City Council reviewed its representation arrangements, and resolved that the following proposal apply for the Council for the elections to be held on 8 October 2022.
Council Representation
It is proposed that the Council comprise 8 members elected from 2 general wards, 1 member elected from the Māori Ward, 3 members elected at large (by the whole city), and the mayor. The 3 wards reflect the following identified communities of interest:
| Ward | Communities of interest |
| Central Ward | Comprises the northern, central and eastern parts of the region (and adjacent inlets as well as Waimeas Inlet south of Nelson Airport) encompassing the northern Port Hills, Haulashore Island, Port Nelson, Washington Valley, Victory, Toi Toi, Bishopdale, The Brook, East Nelson, Maitai Valley, the Nelson city centre, The Wood, Brooklands, Atawhai, Dodson Valley, Marybank, Todds Valley, Wakapuaka, Glenduan, Hira, Cable Bay, Lud Valley, Teal Valley, Kokorua and the hills of the Bryant Range bounded by the council boundary. |
| Stoke-Tahuna Ward | Comprises the southern urban part of the region encompassing Stoke, Monaco, Nelson Airport, Tahunanui, the southern Port Hills, Annesbrook, Wakatu, Enner Glynn, Marsden Valley, Ngawhatu Valley, the Saxton area and the islands southwest of the Airport. |
| Whakatū Ward | Māori Ward for those on the Māori electoral roll. Encompasses the full Nelson City electoral boundary. Established by resolution 13 May 2021 for the 2022 and 2025 local elections – decision cannot be appealed to Local Government Commission. |
The population that each member will represent is as follows:
In accordance with section 19V(2), Local Electoral Act 2001 the population that each member represents must be within the range of 6414 +/- 10% (5773 to 7055), unless particular community of interest considerations justify otherwise.
Community Board Representation
It is proposed that no community boards be established.
Further Information
Copies of the Council’s initial proposal and maps setting out the areas of the proposed wards can be viewed under the document library. Copies are also available at:
Any queries regarding the Council’s decision should be directed to
Devorah Nícuarta-Smith: 03 546 0391 or devorah.nicuartasmith@ncc.govt.nz.
