Matt Cowley Tauranga City Councillor

Thank you to those who shared their thoughts on how they want to be represented on Tauranga City Council.

After considering all the feedback, the next election will continue the current make-up of elected members, which includes six ward councillors, four at-large (city-wide) councillors and one mayor. This means you get three types of votes: ward councillors, at-large councillors and the mayor.

With just 11 elected members, Tauranga has one of the lowest ratios of councillors per population in New Zealand.

The full review sets the rules for the next local body election in October 2016. We considered a series of matters through the review, required by legislation at least once every six years.

We are keeping the first-past-the-post voting system. We decided not to have allocated Maori seats, voted by those on the Maori electoral role only. And, we kept the boundaries of the ward areas much the same after taking into account the city's growth.

Some large cities and rural areas have local community boards. Community boards seem to work well in the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, particularly as the rural communities are spread out. Since Tauranga City Council's boundaries are relatively compact, the decision not to have community boards was balanced by retaining local ward councillors.

Looking ahead, the eight councils in the Bay of Plenty region are working together on the Local Government Futures project to ensure our services are as efficient and effective as possible. Part of the investigation will include how communities of interest are defined and ensuring local democracy is enhanced.

These investigations will likely be considered as part of the next review of how local communities are represented around their councils' decision-making table.

Feel free to email me your thoughts (matt.cowley@tauranga.govt.nz), call/text me on 027 6989 548, and follow me at www.facebook.com/a.younger.voice.