Auckland Council’s final proposal for representation arrangements will soon be considered by the Local Government Commission, taking Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland one step closer to confirmed electoral boundaries and the total number of elected members for the October 2025 elections.
A public hearing on 4 February at Auckland Town Hall is where the Commission will hear the council’s proposed changes, following a complex review on representation carried out in 2024.
Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward Councillor, Julie Fairey, who is chair of the council’s Joint Governance Working Party, says the process, through consultation, captured valuable public and local board feedback (2,359 submissions and 19 from local boards) that helped refine the recommendations for change.
“Tāmaki Makaurau is always changing and it’s vital for us to review our local representation structure at least every six years. Keeping Auckland’s council electoral boundaries and elected member ratios up to date helps to ensure fair and effective local and regional representation, and keeps decision-making as local as possible,” says Cr Fairey.
The Council’s final proposal for the 2025 representation arrangements was resolved in September and publicly notified in October 2024, so that anyone with outstanding concerns could officially submit an appeal or objection.
The Commission will consider the 18 appeals and objections it received and invite those who submitted an appeal or objection to speak in person at the hearing.
Important changes proposed for Auckland include adjusting the North Shore /Albany ward boundary, central Auckland ward boundaries, and Rodney and Howick local board subdivisions.
These adjustments will accommodate faster growth in some areas by ensuring that each elected member represents more or less the same number of people within their ward or local board area, to provide fair and effective representation for all Aucklanders – no matter where they live, Auckland Council said in a statement.
The Commission must also consider the council’s decision not to comply with the fairness rule in certain areas to keep connected communities together, and to maintain fair representation for those living in less-populated areas.
Areas where exceptions are proposed include the North Shore/Albany wards, Hibiscus and Bays Local Board subdivisions, Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board subdivisions, Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board subdivisions and Franklin Local Board subdivisions.
Minor local board boundary changes may also be discussed. The council has proposed making changes to the Upper Harbour/Devonport-Takapuna local board boundary, in Kaipātiki /Upper Harbour, and Puketāpapa/ Maungakiekie-Tāmaki.
Once the hearing concludes, the Commission must decide whether to approve the council’s proposed changes by 11 April 2025, allowing time for changes to be introduced ahead of the October 2025 elections.
To read more on the council’s final proposal, visit OurAuckland and akhaveyoursay/representation.
