Kāpiti Coast District Council Kāpiti Coast District Council
Search
  • Home
  • Rohe | District
  • Kaunihera | Council
  • Ratonga | Services
  • Ngā Kaupapa | What's On
  • Whakapā mai | Contact
  • Rohe | District
    • Aquatics
    • Beaches
    • Doing business in Kāpiti
    • Maps
    • Our community
    • Our Kāpiti
    • Visiting Kāpiti
    • Arts and culture
    • Civil Defence | Emergency Management
    • Libraries
    • Open spaces
    • Our environment
    • Mana Whenua
    • Aquatics
    • Arts and culture
    • Beaches
    • Civil Defence | Emergency Management
    • Doing business in Kāpiti
    • Libraries
    • Maps
    • Open spaces
    • Our community
    • Our environment
    • Our Kāpiti
    • Mana Whenua
    • Visiting Kāpiti
  • Kaunihera | Council
    • The role of Council
    • Our elected members
    • Our vision and direction
    • Documents
    • Projects
    • Partners
    • Our awards for environmental care
    • Central government reforms
    • Executive management
    • Meetings
    • Delivering for Kāpiti
    • Planning
    • Job vacancies
    • Local elections
    • Official Information Requests
    • The role of Council
    • Executive management
    • Our elected members
    • Meetings
    • Our vision and direction
    • Delivering for Kāpiti
    • Documents
    • Planning
    • Projects
    • Job vacancies
    • Partners
    • Local elections
    • Our awards for environmental care
    • Official Information Requests
    • Central government reforms
  • Ratonga | Services
    • A–Z council services and facilities
    • A–Z council services and facilities
  • Ngā Kaupapa | What's on
    • News
    • Everything Kāpiti e-newsletter
    • Calendar of meetings and forums
    • Kāpiti Schools Sports Programme
    • News archive
    • Have your say
    • Things to do in Kāpiti
    • Follow us
    • News
    • News archive
    • Everything Kāpiti e-newsletter
    • Have your say
    • Calendar of meetings and forums
    • Things to do in Kāpiti
    • Kāpiti Schools Sports Programme
    • Follow us
  • Whakapā mai | Contact
    • Contact us
    • Follow us
    • About this website
    • Official Information Requests
    • Council facilities opening hours
    • Antenno
    • Social Media terms of use
    • Online service request / Complaints
    • Contact us
    • Council facilities opening hours
    • Follow us
    • Antenno
    • About this website
    • Social Media terms of use
    • Official Information Requests
    • Online service request / Complaints
Search
Close
Hit enter to search or ESC to close
HomeNgā Kaupapa | What's OnNews archive2021Public’s views sought on shape of council for 2022 local elections
Ngā Kaupapa | What's On
  • Newskeyboard_arrow_down
  • News archivekeyboard_arrow_up
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • Previous years
  • Everything Kāpiti e-newsletterkeyboard_arrow_down
  • Have your saykeyboard_arrow_down
  • Calendar of meetings and forums
  • Things to do in Kāpitikeyboard_arrow_down
  • Kāpiti Schools Sports Programme
  • Follow us

Public’s views sought on shape of council for 2022 local elections

Published 07 Sep 2021

Kāpiti District Mayor K Gurunathan wants Kapiti residents to give their views on how they should be represented at the next local body elections.

Council is consulting on a proposal to reduce the district’s wards from four to three without community boards, but to retain the current mixed model of five ward councillors and five elected district-wide, plus the mayor.

“Our proposal was developed and refined over many months of briefings and discussions within Council and with community boards and external advisers from the Local Government Commission, as well as in-depth research done at the outset to test what people want from their representation at Council. The research told us Kāpiti residents want a democratic model which brings them closer to Council decision-makers. We also heard they value the diversity of the district and want to retain our distinct communities of interest.

“Councillors see the mixed model as striking a balance between providing good local representation and doing what is best for the district as a whole. Of course, the thornier issue for many will be around the future of community boards. Community board members were invited to at least five briefings on the matter, so have been kept well informed and I hope will also provide submissions.

“We’ve had the current arrangement since 2004. A lot has changed since then in how both our communities and Council operate. The key question for the public is do they think this different structure will deliver better representation for them? We have an opportunity to be bold and innovative in finding new or better ways to make it easier for people to engage with us,” Mayor Gurunathan says.

“We’re also considering the wider context of the vast societal and technological advances since our current system was established in 2004, and the need to make local government fit for the future.

“But this is an iterative process. It’s important to stress that councillors continue to have an open mind on this. We want to know what people think before deciding on a final proposal,” Mayor Gurunathan says.

“The legislation requires us to put forward just one proposal for public consultation, but we have looked at a range of options and will take the public’s views into account.”

Mayor Gurunathan said uncertainty over the Covid-19 alert levels made consultation more challenging, particularly for people who were unable or unwilling to engage online.

“Given the distinct possibility we could continue to be under constraints imposed by Covid-19, the council will, over these four weeks and beyond, be going the extra mile to extend the range of communication avenues to enable submitters to participate. We have been there before, and we will be there again.”

“Learning more effective ways of conducting our local democracy under Covid-19 constraints is likely to be the new normal. We should be embracing the challenges instead of abandoning our democratic responsibility by delaying or deferring consultation, especially if it would mean missing legislative deadlines, as would happen here,” Mayor Gurunathan said.

Council is inserting a copy of the discussion document in some of the local newspapers. If people can access a computer, the best way to provide feedback is online at https://haveyoursay.kapiticoast.govt.nz/. Consultation closes at 5pm Monday 4 October.

When COVID-19 lockdown restrictions lift, hard copies of the consultation document and submission form will be available at the Council’s office and libraries and service centres in Paraparaumu, Ōtaki, Waikanae, and Paekākāriki.

Hot topics

  • Grants, funding and awards
  • Maps
  • Public forum at Council
  • Recycling and rubbish
  • Sources and consumption rates
  • Recreational water quality

Quick links

  • Alcohol licences
  • Civil defence
  • Sports ground status
  • District Plan
  • Responses to Official Information Requests

Services & information

  • A–Z of services and facilities
  • Job vacancies
  • Information for businesses
  • Property information
  • Maps
  • Kāpiti Coast destination website

Get in touch  facebook  Instagram  Youtube

shielded

Kāpiti Coast District Council
175 Rimu Road
Private Bag 60601
Paraparaumu 5254

Phone: 04 296 4700
Toll free: 0800 486 486
Fax: 04 296 4830
[email protected]

page rip
© Copyright 2023 Kāpiti Coast District Council
SitemapAbout this websiteAccessibilityLegal Notices
NZ Government logo