Random rules: South Wairarapa will continue its three-year-old practice of randomly listing the names of election candidates on voting forms.
Alphabetical listing was abandoned by a majority of councils as early as 2019, SWDC adopted the proposal for the 2022 elections – and has now confirmed random listing will rule again for the coming October election and again for the 2028 election.
Advice from officials was that random (if chosen – it was) will mean candidates’ names “are shown in a different order on each voting document – using software that permits the names to be printed “in a different order on each paper.” It’s assumed that is not every single or individual ballot paper – or is it?
Random name ordering was used by 57% of councils in 2019, by 73% in 2025.
LGNZ membership: Ratepayers will continue their $40,443.58 a year subscription payment for membership of Local Government New Zealand –after councillors decided to remain in the ranks of the national body, apparently convinced of the “perceived value” LGNZ brings to the sector.
Seven other councils, including Auckland, Christchurch and Westland District Council have opted out or, as the report to councillors noted: “for a variety of reasons, chosen not to continue with their membership.” Costs were one consistent issue.
In its own defence, LGNZ lists everything from advocacy, support, resources, policy and research, leadership development, collaboration and the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs as part of its role as a national support.
One official described LGNZ’s “value” as “quite wide-ranging.” To back the remain case, a 37-page pamphlet titled “The Value of LGNZ Membership” was included in the meeting agenda.
Coastal and Rural Advisory Group (aka CRAG): Plans to establish this new community representation body are slowly wending their way through the bureaucracy after councillors read their tea cups and found “general support from the community and elected members” for setting up CRAG.
“Council is confident that … the introduction of the Te Karu o Te Ika a Māui ward, and a group to represent our coastal and rural communities will provide for effective representation for the next triennium,” SWDC deputy mayor, Melissa Sadler-Futter said earlier.
In a notice last year, council said it saw “the rural community as a community of interest and will look at establishing a Coastal and Rural Advisory Group to represent the interests of this community.”
The size, shape and timing of CRAG’s unveiling partly rest with chief Executive Janice Smith, who has been tasked with finalising “Terms of Reference” for councillors to consider.
