Southland
Welcome to our first guest post something we have been working on for a while, today we kick things off with Southland District Council Mayor Gary Tong. Mike & Mal.
Each of the towns here has its own personality, its own set of opportunities and challenges, and a different list of issues that make them tick. That’s why it is so important to make sure voices from across the district are heard at a local government level.
Councils around the country are legislatively required to review their representation arrangements every six years – and, since the last time we did so was in 2012, it’s time for us to take another look.
Part of the review means we need to look at the number of councillors our communities elect as well as how they are elected – whether a certain number have to come from each ‘ward’, or if they are elected by the district as a whole – as well as how ratepayers are served by our community board structure.
While change can be daunting, it’s an opportunity to consider the way we do things and whether our representation structure is efficient, effective and ready for the future. Making sure Southlanders feel they are truly represented by their local government is a key priority for us.
A lot of background work has already gone into the representation review. One of the issues that has come out of this so far is that a significant number of people living in the Southland District – one third of them – don’t have access to a community board or community development area subcommittee that provides local decision-making. That just doesn’t seem representative of the diverse range of viewpoints of Southlanders, and we need to address that.
This week Council will meet to finalise our proposal, and public submissions will be open between 30 April and 6 June. Let us know what you think.