News

Māori names for Porirua’s electoral wards

Porirua City’s three electoral wards will include their Māori names, under a proposal adopted by the Council last night.

Every six years the Local Electoral Act requires Council to review its representation arrangements for local body elections.

Currently the Northern and Eastern Wards elect four councillors each and the Western Ward two councillors.

At a meeting last night the Council considered public submissions on the review and adopted a proposal to keep the current arrangements, with the addition of Te Reo translations for each ward.

Manager Democratic Services, Lynlee Baily, said the proposal came out of a desire from the Council to better recognise local iwi Ngāti Toa Rangatira, and the significance of Te Reo Māori in general.

The wards for the 2019 council elections will now be called:

• Eastern Ward / Pāuatahanui ki te uunga mai o te ra
  
• Northern Ward / Pukerua ki te Raki
  
• Western Ward / Titahi Rangituhi Porirua ki te uru 

In reviewing the representation arrangements through guidelines laid down by the Local Government Commission the Council has also: 

• identified communities of interest
  
• considered how best to provide effective representation for those communities, including whether or not there should be community boards
  
• considered the fairness of representation for electors such as the ratio of population for each elected member.
  

The public have until 28 September 2018 to make an appeal then the final proposal will be confirmed.

23 Aug 2018