Representation review

There was a rigorous process to get where we did. We went through:

• preliminary engagement, where we went out to the community with a range of options
• an initial proposal, where we asked the community whether or not they supported our proposal.

Community feedback was very split throughout the process, and you can read more about these parts of the process below.

Following the feedback from the initial proposal, Council looked at the community response, and in particular the response from those in the areas who would be most impacted by the proposed changes. The submissions, alongside other considerations, enabled Council to make the final proposal to revert back to the status quo, with minor boundary adjustments.

Council considered that the changes are appropriate because:

• The existing South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency comprises a large geographical area, which would significantly expand with the addition of the Ashburton District, with would make it more challenging for elected members to adequately meet the needs of the constituency.
• The communities of Ashburton District and the South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency do not uniformly share common interests in respect of factors such as land use, community connections, geography, economic activity and environmental characteristics.
• The Rangitata River forms a natural geographical boundary between the Ashburton District and the South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency, and Ashburton’s natural community of interest lies more generally to the north than to the south.
• The population-based fair representation requirements of the Local Electoral Act 2001 (the +/- 10% rule) present difficulties for regional councils with geographically large constituencies, making it difficult to achieve effective representation of communities of interest, particularly for rural communities.
• The amended proposal is more consistent with the 2018 determination of the Local Government Commission, which found that the size of the South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency warranted a higher level of representation.
• Submitters from the areas most affected by the proposed change, Ashburton and South Canterbury, were strongly opposed to the proposal on the grounds that it reduced effective representation, particularly for rural communities.
• Moving the Papanui Ward from the Christchurch North-East/Ōrei constituency to Christchurch Central/Ōhoko, and moving the Linwood Ward from the Christchurch Central/Ōhoko constituency to Christchurch North-East/Ōrei better reflects the communities of interest and natural connections for those communities with their neighbouring communities. These changes also better align with the current community board structures within Christchurch city.
• The Council has indicated it will recommend undertaking a further representation review prior to the 2028 local elections.

Preliminary engagement

Council considered several options to realign constituencies to make our representation fair, while also considering which communities share similarities. Read more.

Initial proposal

Council proposed that we combine the Ashburton District area with the current South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency, to form a larger Mid-South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency. This meant Selwyn/Waikirikiri would have been its own constituency. The proposal included changes to the names of the constituencies: Selwyn/Waikirikiri and Mid-South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi. The proposal also included realigning the Christchurch city constituency boundaries to the current Christchurch City Council wards.

Response summary:

• We received 217 submissions
• Across Canterbury, 56.7% supported the proposal
• In Selwyn, 62% of submitters supported the proposal
• In Ashburton, 77.1% of submitters did not support the proposal
• In South Canterbury, 77.6% of submitters did not support the proposal.

Download the full results of the feedback.

A representation review looks at the balance of Councillors representing an area with regard to population and geographical areas.

The Local Electoral Act 2001 requires councils to undertake a representation review every six years.

For a regional council, the review must cover:

• The number of electoral areas – constituencies (local councils use wards)
• The boundaries of those constituencies and their names
• The number of Councillors to represent them.

To ensure effective and fair representation, there are four things we must consider:

• The number of people represented within each constituency area (population)
• The alignment of communities of interest within each constituency
• The alignment of constituencies to local council boundaries or wards
• How many elected Councillors should represent each constituency (each Councillor should represent roughly the same population +/- 10 per cent).

Council considered several options to realign constituencies to make our representation fair, while also considering which communities share similarities.

We tested three options with the community in May and asked for feedback.

• Option one - Retain the status quo (with Christchurch City/Ōtautahi constituency realignment)
  This option kept the North Canterbury/Ōpukepuke, Mid Canterbury/Ōpākihi and South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituencies the same and only made minor changes to our four Christchurch/Ōtautahi constituency boundaries, to align with the new Christchurch City ward boundaries.
  The number of elected representatives for each constituency remained the same, two for each.
• Option two - Merge Mid Canterbury/Ōpākihi and South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituencies
  Combine the Mid Canterbury/Ōpākihi and South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituencies to create one much larger constituency.
  This constituency was represented by four Councillors.
• Option three - Create a new constituency combining Ashburton District and the current South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency

Combine the Ashburton District with the South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency, leaving Selwyn/Waikirikiri (currently in the Mid Canterbury/Ōpākihi constituency) as a constituency on its own.

In this option, the two constituencies are represented by two elected councillors each.

All options included realigning the Christchurch city constituency boundaries to match the current Christchurch City Council ward boundaries.

Feedback showed that Option Three was narrowly preferred. Of those within the areas most affected by the proposed changes, Option One was narrowly preferred.

What's next

Ahead of the next local body elections in October 2025, Council is proposing that we retain a largely similar representation arrangement to what is currently in place, with some minor boundary adjustments. Read more.

Download the full results of the feedback.