The number of community boards in the Western Bay of Plenty could be cut from five to three after next year’s council elections.

After a lengthy debate at a meeting on Wednesday, the mayor had to cast his vote to break a council deadlock, adding his support to the reduction of the number of community boards.

Those who opposed the move, including community board members, said people had been left in the dark over the process. However, supporters said the proposed shake-up would offer fairer representation across the region.

Representation reviews set the number of councillors, the number of wards and their boundaries, and the make-up of community boards for an area. They must be carried out every six years.

Western Bay currently has five community boards, each with four members and two councillors, representing Waihī Beach, Katikati, Ōmokoroa, Te Puke and Maketū.

A community board is a group of elected members who represent the interests of their area and act as a link between the community and the council.

The council is proposing to scrap the five boards and have three that follow the ward boundaries of Maketū-Te Puke, Kaimai and Katikati-Waihī Beach.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is proposing to have three community boards instead of five. Photo / Mead Norton

The boards would have six elected members and two councillors appointed from the respective wards.

Everywhere in the district with a population of at least 62,000 would be covered by a community board under the proposal.

That means areas like Whakamārama, Pukehina, Pongakawa and Paengaroa - which currently have no board - would be better represented.

After more than an hour of debate, Mayor James Denyer used his casting vote to adopt the three community boards following a six/six split vote.

Denyer said the option solved the issues of the past and created an even spread of community boards covering the whole district.

“[It] ensures that localism is maintained with representation from each community.

“We are strengthening our community boards. This is a positive for our community boards and for local representation.”

Katikati-Waihī Beach councillor Anne Henry. Photo / John Borren

Councillor Anne Henry said she was very uncomfortable with the process of arriving at this option because it wasn’t consulted on as part of the initial proposal.

“I’m here to do local government well, I don’t believe that the process that we are going through for this [community board option] is local government being done well.”

The option had merit but it needed to be worked through and be available for the community to give feedback on, she said.

Consultation on the initial representation proposal ran from September 16 to October 11.

Councillor Margaret Murray-Benge also had concerns about consultation.

“You haven’t consulted, you’re leaving people in the dark and we will look like one confused, muddled mess and I don’t want to have a bar of it.”

Te Puke-Maketū councillor Andy Wichers. Photo / Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Councillor Andy Wichers said the councillors were divided on the issue from the start.

The current boards provided inconsistent representation and the three-board option would give ward-wide representation, he said.

“[With] this option … the delegations to community boards will be more empowering and give life to better localism.”

It also meant the community boards would have more control over their budgets and a combined voice giving them more horsepower, said Wichers.

Several current community boards opposed the three-board option, with members speaking in the meeting’s public forum.

Katikati Community Board chairman John Clements said the community had strongly shown they wanted to keep their board the same.

“To vote against that position would be a travesty of democracy,” he said.

Waihī Beach Community Board chairman Ross Goudie said the council hadn’t consulted on that option so “why go there?”

Former Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber. Photo / Andrew Warner

Former Western Bay Mayor Garry Webber said the option was elegant, consistent and an inclusive compromise because every resident would be included in a community board area.

The current system meant many residents weren’t included which was unfair, he said.

The council also voted to reduce the number of councillors at the table from 11 plus the mayor to nine plus the mayor.

They would also honour their commitment to a Māori ward and establish one that covered the entire district, called Waka Kai Uru ward.

Wards would stay the same but the number of councillors in each would change.

The Maketū-Te Puke and Kaimai wards would have three councillors, the Katikati-Waihī Beach ward would have two and Waka Kai Uru ward would have one. The mayor would be elected by the whole district.

The council received 550 submissions on the initial representation review proposal.

Pre-engagement was also held in March and April, with 91 submitters providing feedback.

The review will be publicly notified and an appeal and objection period will run from November 22 - December 13.

How they voted on community boards

For three boards: James Denyer, Andy Wichers, Grant Dally, John Scrimgeour, Don Thwaites, Murray Grainger.

Against: Tracey Coxhead, Rodney Joyce, Anne Henry, Margaret Murray-Benge, Laura Rae, Allan Sole.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.