Councillors argue on changes

Press, 16 June 1982, Page 5

Councillors argue on changes

Waimairi District Council riding boundaries proved a lengthy talking point at the council's monthly meeting. Much of the four-hour meeting was taken up with discussion on the changes which will affect the 1983 council elections. Councillors eventually agreed that a special order to confirm the number of councillors would be made at a meeting on July 6. not July 8 as proposed. They further agreed that a meeting to decide the number of ridings and their boundaries could be held on July 1. However, this may also be changed to July 6. Cr A. A. Adcock put forward a letter he had written to the council chairman (Mr D. B. Rich) strongly objecting to consideration of boundary changes affecting his Styx riding unless he was present with full voting and speaking rights, and it was held in open meeting. "I would expect the same to apply to any other councillor whose riding boundaries are under consideration." said the letter. Cr Adcock said he had noted that the four-member co-ordinating committee included two councillors from Harewood and one from Marshland, and that one of its proposals transferred high-rated areas of the Styx and Papanui ridings into Harewood and Marshland.

■ Cr Adcock said he sought an assurance that no further consideration would be given to boundary changes in the Styx riding unless these conditions were met. Cr H. M. Tait said she was concerned that proposals on the changes did not go through the “normal channels." A co-ordinating committee report had gone to a special council meeting and not through the finance committee to that meeting. This had meant that many councillors had ‘'only one go at it.”

Cr Tait "complained that adequate information had not been presented to councillors.

The acting chairman (Cr I. Calvert) said that this had been passed by the council. A debate could not be entered on it at the meeting. Cr Tait said that her criticism was with the way it was carried out. Cr Calvert said that it was the' council’s decision. He asked what Cr Tait hoped to achieve by her remarks. :, Cr Tait said that she

wanted more information available before the matters were discussed again. The deputy county clerk (Mr P. W. Chapple) later in the meeting sought the council's permission to change the date of the meeting to confirm the number of councillors from July 12 to July 8. This was 15 months before the election, he said. But Cr Adcock said he was not happy with this. He was concerned at the "extremely radical changes" to the basis of elections and the "amazing" proposed changes to riding boundaries.

Cr Adcock said that these were not just minor changes. They appeared to some ratepayers as being likely to lead to decreased representation on the council.

"Because of these changes. I think it is vitally important that ratepayers have every opportunity to express their opinions," he said. Ratepayers were going to want every opportunity, and the time factor for the meetings gave them very little time.

Cr Adcock said many public meetings were planned in different parts of the Styx riding, mainly because of the planned "carve up."

However. Cr Calvert said that the need to change the dates from July 12 to .inly 8 was correcting a genuine error.

Mr Chapple said the special order to change the dates did not relate to riding boundaries at all. Any interested parties could make representations on planned changes to the number of councillors, and boundary changes, he said.