Local authority elections throughout New Zealand are held every three years, and are conducted by postal vote.
All resident electors and non-resident ratepayer electors whose names appear on the electoral rolls are eligible to vote in their local government elections.
REPRESENTATION ARRANGEMENTS
FOR THE 2007 LOCAL ELECTIONS
On 6 April 2006, the Ashburton District Council reviewed its representation arrangements, and resolved that the below proposal apply for the Council and its Community Boards for the elections to be held on 13 October 2007. Submissions on the Council’s proposal were invited and closed on 10 May 2006. No submissions were received. The proposal now becomes the basis for the next triennial election.
Council Representation
Council will comprise 12 members elected from three wards, and the Mayor.
The three wards reflect the following identified communities of interest:
|
Ashburton Ward |
the areas around and including Ashburton town which are serviced or have the potential to be serviced in the medium future. (Map A) |
|
Western Ward |
the inland portion of the rural area with communities that focus largely on Mayfield, Mt Somers and Methven towns. (Map B) |
|
Eastern Ward |
the seaward portion of the rural area with communities that focus largely on Hinds, Rakaia and Ashburton towns. (Map B) |
The population that each member will represent is as follows:
|
Ward |
Population
(Department of Statistics June 2005) |
Members |
Population per member |
|
Ashburton Ward |
15200 |
7 |
2171 |
|
Western Ward |
4470 |
2 |
2235 |
|
Eastern Ward |
7250 |
3 |
2417 |
Community Board Representation
One community board will be elected. The community board will be the Methven Community Board which will be representative of the serviced residential and commercial areas of Methven. (Map C)
The Methven Community will elect five members who will be joined by the two Western Ward Councillors.
Voting Period
The voting period commences on Friday 21 September 2007 and the voting documents will be posted out to all qualified electors between Friday 21 and Wednesday 26 September 2007.
All returned voting documents must be received by the Electoral Officer no later than 12 noon on Saturday 13 October 2007.
Enrolling as an Elector
Any eligible person may apply to enrol as a residential elector up until 4pm on Friday 12 October 2007. Residential electors may enrol or amend their enrolment details by:
· Completing an enrolment form available at Post Shops
· Calling 0800 ENROLNOW (0800 367656)
· Visiting the elections website (www.elections.org.nz)
Special Voting Facilities
Special voting documents may be obtained during normal office hours from Friday 21 September 2007 until 12 noon, Saturday 13 October 2007 from -
Ashburton District Council Administration building, 5 Baring Square West, Ashburton -
Phone: 03 307 7700.
Special votes may also be claimed by electors who have lost, spoilt or destroyed their ordinary voting documents which they have received in the post.
Special votes may also be claimed by persons who have applied to be enrolled but who have not received their ordinary voting documents in the post.
Further Information
Copies of the Council’s resolution and maps setting out the areas of the proposed wards and community board may be viewed and obtained from Council’s Administration Office, 5 Baring Square West (PO Box 94), Ashburton.
Any queries regarding the Council’s decision should be directed to the Council’s Electoral Officer, John Rollinson, 03 307 7700.