2024 Representation Review

Overview

Elections for local authorities (councils) are held every three years.

This is when residents vote for mayors and councillors, and in some parts of New Zealand, for community board members and local board members.

Local authorities are required by the Local Electoral Act 2001 to take a fresh look at their representation arrangements at least once every six years.
This is to ensure a local authority is structured to best serve the interests and needs of its community.

We are currently undertaking a representation review. This means we need to consider:

• How many elected members should be on council?
• How many wards should our city have, what should their boundaries be, and what should they be named?
• Should we have a mix of both ward councillors and at large councillors?
• Do we need community boards?

Māori wards

In 2021, Napier City Council consulted with the community on whether to introduce Māori wards to Napier. Following this consultation, Council made the decision to introduce Māori wards at the 2025 local authority elections. This means we also need to confirm how many Māori wards and councillors for these wards Napier should have, so we’re ready for the next local authority election. More information about Māori wards.

Community boards

Some local authorities have community boards. Community boards carry out functions and have powers delegated to them by their councils. Their role includes representing and acting in the interests of their community. They liaise with organisations and special interest groups in their community on council matters. Currently Napier doesn’t have any community boards. In this representation review, we need to consider whether introducing community boards would be appropriate for Napier. If so, how many boards should Napier have, how many representatives should they have, and for which communities? More information about community boards.

More information about local democracy arrangements can be read here.

How to be involved in the 2024 Representation Review

We ran a residents' survey from 17 November to 15 December 2023. Using that information, we will put out some ideas in 2024 for community feedback on how the representation of Napier City could look. Once we have the results of that survey, we will base an initial proposal on that and put it to the community for formal consultation in July 2024. As well as making a written submission during this consultation, you will have the chance to speak at a Council meeting about your views.

The community will be notified of the final decision in September 2024. At this time people who made a formal submission could lodge an objection if desired. 

The finalised representation arrangements for Napier will remain in place for the 2025 and 2028 elections, unless it is necessary for us to conduct another Representation Review earlier.