FAQs

Wards are areas of a district identified for electoral purposes. They work in the same way as seats in a general election. Currently, people can only vote for candidates in their wards, but everyone gets to vote for who they want to be mayor.

Although candidates stand for their ward area when voted on to the council, councillors swear an oath to work for the entire district. The idea of the ward system is that all parts of the district are fairly represented. 

*Estimated Resident Population on 30 June 2023, based on the 2018 census, usually resident population counts (Source: Statistics New Zealand).   

**Population per Councillor, based on estimated residential population divided by ten members   

***Population per Councillor across the whole district  

Under sections 19H and 19J of the Local Electoral Act 2001 (the Act), all territorial authorities must review their representation arrangements at least every six years. This is to ensure that the community has a fair and effective representation at the local government elections.  

These reviews determine the number of councillors to be elected, the basis of election for councillors, and, if this includes wards, the boundaries and names of those wards.

Reviews also include whether community boards are to be established and, if so, membership arrangements for those boards. Representation arrangements must be determined to provide fair and effective representation for individuals and communities.

Buller District Council (BDC) last reviewed its representation arrangements before the 2019 local authority elections. Therefore, BDCmust undertake a review before the next triennial elections in October 2025. 

Under the Act, the review of representation arrangements every six years starts with Council developing an Initial Proposal for consultation with the community. 

Council will consider the submissions to the Initial Proposal, and listen to people who wish to speak to their submissions during a hearing.  Council will consider all the submissions  and then adopt a Final Proposal which will be made available for public objections and appeals.

If no objections or appeals are received the Final Proposal becomes the Representation Arrangements for the 2025 and 2028 triennial elections.  If objections or appeals to the Final Proposal are received, then the Final Proposal and the objections or appeals are forwarded to the Local Government Commission for a final determination. 

Council considered the options for representation arrangements in workshops in 2023.  Key factors discussed in the workshops were whether the current arrangements:  

Based on the discussions at the workshops, Buller District Council formally reviewed its representation arrangements under section 19H of the Local Electoral Act 2001 in a Council meeting on 29 May 2024. 

Taking into consideration updated information about Buller’s population, Council decided that the status quo still provided fair representation for Buller’s residents in the three key areas.  Also, importantly, the current wards will still adhere to the ‘+/-10% rule’.*  

It resolved that the status quo should be adopted as the Initial Proposal for the 2025 and 2028 local government elections for public consultation.  

*Under section 19V(2) of the Local Electoral Act 2001, fair representation for electors is met when the membership of wards provides approximately the same population equality per member; that is, all votes are of approximately equal value (no more than 10% greater or smaller than the population of the district divided by the total number of members). 

The choice of electoral system is not part of this review. The council has already determined to retain the “First-Past-the-Post” electoral system.  

Whether or not to have Māori electoral wards is not part of this review either. Council has already determined not to have Māori electoral wards.