Councillors have approved the final representation review proposal which confirms the Wānaka Community Board (WCB) will be retained. 

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) met yesterday (Thursday September 16) for a full council meeting via Zoom and the representation review, the first item on the agenda, generated lengthy discussion amongst councillors. 

Eight of 10 councillors approved the final proposal, which reflected the desires of the 200-plus submitters who asked for the WCB’s retention.

An independent representation review advisory group had earlier recommended the disestablishment of the WCB, to which the council had agreed, but the proposals were amended as a result of public feedback during the consultation and hearing process.

Councillor Niamh Shaw said with the decision to keep the WCB, the council must now commit to “empowering” it, a sentiment shared by other councillors. 

It was time to “make moves” to change the way the WCB works, councillor Quentin Smith said.

“Now we really need the community to stand up and put some really strong candidates [for the WCB] in there and also hold our board to account and push them,” he said. 

After the consultation and hearings, the council recommended to retain the four-member board but appoint only one councillor to it, rather than the current three Wānaka-Ward based councillors.

Niamh’s request to amend the recommendation back again to four board members and three councillors was approved during yesterday’s meeting but with some concerns raised.

Councillor Nikki Gladding said she was worried that board members could be undermined when there were “three strong councillors” also sitting on the board.

“Councillors on the board will need to enable other members of the board to fulfill their role as well,” she said. 

Deputy mayor Calum MacLeod said the final version of the representation review had ended up “in a really good place”.

“We’ve gone through the process and gotten to the fact that embracing representation - grassroots representation and WCB representation - is important.”

In council’s final representation review decision, Arrowtown will lose its one dedicated councillor, and instead will form part of a new, enlarged Arrowtown-Kawarau Ward, which will have three councillors.

This new ward joins two other wards: the Queenstown-Whakatipu Ward, with four councillors, and the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward, which gained a fourth councillor. 

The role of mayor will continue to be voted for across the whole district.

Under the Local Electoral Act 2001, local authorities are required to complete a representation review at least once every six years, to provide for “effective representation of communities of interest” and “fair representation for electors”.

Locals who made submissions on this representation review have until Friday October 22 to make any appeals or objections to the representation review decision, and if any are received, the Electoral Commission will make a final decision.

PHOTO: Supplied