Amberley’s growing population forces rethink for council

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

A potential shakeup of the makeup of a Canterbury council's elected representatives could help balance ‘‘the rural and town divide’’.

The Hurunui District Council is weighing up whether to increase the number south ward councillors - which includes for the town of Amberley - or to create a community board to support the growing population.

Amberley District Residents’ Association chairperson Roy Myers said he supported increasing the number of elected representatives in Hurunui’s south ward as Amberley had more diverse needs compared to other smaller communities.

It would also help bridge ‘‘the rural and town divide’’, he said.

‘‘If you look at the smaller communities, their interests are much more directly focused on their own needs in a community of maybe a few hundred people," he said.

Currently, Hurunui District Council is made up of 10 councillors - four each for the west and south wards, and two for the east ward.

The west ward includes the towns of Hanmer Springs, Waiau, Culverden, Hawarden and Waikari, while the east ward includes Cheviot, Greta Valley and Waipara.

The south ward includes Amberley, Amberley Beach, Leithfield and Leithfield Beach.

‘‘In Amberley, the population has more or less doubled over the last 10 years and a lot of them are newcomers," Myers said.

‘‘Over time their expectations for local services might increase, but at the moment if you look at what is provided, we don’t have much services.’’

He said Amberley’s town centre lacked a community space, other than the Tin Shed at the Amberley Domain, while a proposed cycleway linking Amberley and Amberley Beach had yet to eventuate.

Myers said the challenge was getting people engaged in local politics.

In the 2022 local government elections, eight candidates stood for the four seats in the south ward, but the voter turnout was around 40 percent.

‘‘I think a lot of people feel quite distanced from the council,’’ he said.
A working party is conducting a representation review and is due to make a recommendation to next month’s council meeting.

It will be consulted on in April, alongside the 2024-34 long-term plan consultation, Hurunui District Council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said.

The council was exploring a range of options, including retaining the status quo.

There was one community board for Hanmer Springs, while community and ward committees represented the various ‘‘communities of interest’’ throughout the district, he said.

Dobbie said the main difference between the committees and community board members was the latter were elected and remunerated.

Community committees were given a similar delegation to a community board, with major decisions made by the elected council.

Mayor Marie Black said the priority was ensuring ‘‘communities of interest’’ were represented.

The south ward’s population is about 5680, with just under half living in the Amberley township, while the district-wide population is 13,800, based on Stats NZ 2023 population estimates.

The decision was made last year not the to establish a Māori ward, after consultation with Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura and Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.