New electorate idea rejected

Press, 21 October 1986, Page 9

New electorate idea rejected

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington The Electoral Representation Commission has decided against disbanding a southern South Island electorate and creating a new one in north Christchurch to accommodate shifts in population. This was one of two options touted for the commission when the 1986 census population figures were released recently. These figures showed that a number of southern electorates were ’ below strength and that some further north had too many people.

By legislation, the number of South Island electorates may not fall below 25, so that after each Census the boundaries of the 25 have to be adjusted in line with population movements.

Instead of disbanding an old electorate and creating a new one, the commission has decided to move the boundaries of the southern electorates north and reduce the size of some of the northern electorates. Both Tasman and Marlborough will be smaller, with the Rangiora electorate losing Kaiapoi and gaining Kaikoura. There will be adjustments round the north and west of Christchurch,

notably in Christchurch north, Yaldhurst and Selwyn, to allow Kaiapoi to become part of the Christchurch-based seats. There will be more substantial changes in the deep south because so many of its electorates are below strength.

This will involve Mosgiel transferring from Dunedin West to Clutha, while St Kilda expands and Dunedin north takes in Port Chalmers and moves up the coast — maybe as far as Palmerston.

Otago is the one electorate in the region overstrength, but it will be pirated by surrounding electorates so may have to move north into the

MacKenzie Country and to the Waitaki River. Timaru is also overstrength and so will lose some of its rural hinterland.

This will leave a rather strange-looking “remainder” electorate in the middle of the South Island. It will include Oamaru but not much else south of the Waitaki River. It will include Waimate but then swing inland behind Timaru before re-emerging at the coast to include Temuka.

To accommodate this, the boundaries of both Selwyn and Ashburton electorates will be moved north, and Selwyn might now include Oxford and

run as far as the Ashley River, although leaving Rangiora in the Rangiora electorate.

The Electoral Representation Commission has now completed its review of South Island electorates and has turned its attention to the North Island, which will have two extra seats round Auckland.

. It is still considering “in committee” the* ' provisional boundaries prepared by the SurveyorGeneral, Mr Warren Hawkey, from the 1985 Census.

It is not expected to publish its proposed boundaries, based on Mr Hawkey’s provisional ones, for perhaps another month. ,