FAQs

We are conducting a Representation Review, an essential process required at least once every six years. The purpose of this review is to make sure that the communities in our city are fairly and effectively represented. Any agreed changes will be put in place for the next council elections in 2025.  

We’re reviewing the number of Councillors we have as part of the Representation Review, we want to make sure that the community in Upper Hutt feel fairly and effectively represented.  

No, it just spreads the same budget across the councillors.  

The law requires there to be fair representation for individuals and communities when it comes to electing the mayor and councillors. Fair representation is about each councillor representing an approximately equal number of people.

Effective representation is about the total number of councillors there are in relation to things like the size and geography of the area and the diversity of its people. Being effective can be considered, for example, in terms of how easy it is to get in touch with your local councillor or councillors, and how well those councillors are able to represent the range of people and interests in their area.

A community board are members who are elected to look after local interests in a specific community and act as link between the community and Council. They’re usually established to enable the communities to have their say in local issues.  

If the decision is made to establish a community board, the establishment of the community board follows the same process as the rest of the representation review. This means any community board members will be elected the same way as councillors in the 2025 elections.  

Under the Local Government Act 2002, community boards must have at least four elected members and maximum of twelve, (this includes both elected and appointed members). Currently, we are seeking feedback from the community on the establishment of any community boards, including their role, function, and number of members.

The establishment cost of any community board is influenced by the community’s size, and the board’s responsibilities. UHCC will be the primary funding source for any established community boards in Upper Hutt.

A community board are members who are elected to look after local interests in a specific community and act as link between the community and Council. They’re usually established to enable the communities to have their say in local issues.  

‘Wards’ are the parts of a Council area that have been determined by population and communities of interest for the purpose of electing representatives to the Council.

No, there cannot be more than one ward for a specific geographic area. A ward may contain more than one Council seat.

The requirements to stand for Council are the same for all Council seats. You do not need to live in the geographic area of a ward, to stand for that ward. 

To be eligible to stand for election, a candidate must be: 

• A New Zealand citizen (by birth or citizenship ceremony), aged over 18; and 
• Enrolled as a Parliamentary elector (anywhere in New Zealand); and 

Nominated by two electors whose names appear on the electoral roll within the ward a candidate is standing.

A community of interest is a group of people who have a common geographical, economic, social or historical bond.

The Coalition Government agreement made public on 24 Nov 2023 include reference to restoring “the right to local referendum on the establishment or ongoing use of Māori wards, including requiring a referendum on any wards established without referendum at the next Local Body elections”. No further guidance has been issued to councils by the Local Government Commission at this point, therefore current legislation applies, which requires that we proceed with the current review and adopt an initial representation proposal by 31 July 2024. There may be some changes as a result of this Government policy in the future, and we will consider this and respond as needed.

We need to ensure our responses to our survey are verifiable to people in our community. Verification also helps us ensure we are getting a demographically representative sample of our community.