Reversal? On Community Boards? Is that what happened? – August 2024

“Retain” was the word of the day on the Community Board issue at July 31’s Strategy Working Committee meeting of South Wairarapa District Council.

The committee spent real time tangled in procedure and process before it agreed it wanted to retain _ NOT “disestablish” _ the three district community boards which represent Martinborough, Greytown and Featherston.

Disestablish the three boards, a plan agreed last month, was the wording drafted into the “Consultation” document the council was about to launch as part of its six-yearly Representation Review. 

The council’s legal adviser told the meeting the document needed to have one proposal, to either retain or disestablish the bodies.

Councillor Martin Bosley said his community feedback was the boards “are not worth the money spent on them.”

Councillor Aidan Ellims said council would be “doing a disservice to the communities to say ‘no’ to the community boards. Councillors can’t represent (up to) 1,800 residents without community Boards.”

Councillor Colin Olds said his vote was for “retain, as it is the decent democratic thing to do.”

Councillor Pip Maynard said the committee needed to “replace ‘remove’ with ‘retain.’”

The procedural rules of the council meant the wording of the resolution voted on sought to “disestablish” the boards. It was lost.

So the wording in the consultation document due out will, in Maynard’s words, be in the “positive.”

It will note: “That the existing community boards of Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough are retained, with four members to be elected in each community board, and 2 member to be appointed from the respective wards.”

But last month, the same committee’s vote could have seen the removal of community boards from the local democracy mix.

The four-member elected boards often provide vital sounding chambers and take action to support projects across their communities in Martinborough, Featherston and Greytown.

But the Strategy Working Committee just a month ago had voted for dumping the elected boards,  recommending instead: 

Greytown, Featherston, and Martinborough Wards (two councillors apiece), a Māori Ward (one councillor);  an At Large Ward (two councillors), and the Mayor.

That’s a total of 10 elected officials – paring down the number by a dozen if the three community boards are removed. A Rural Advisory Group, discussed briefly at the meeting, may be set up instead.

Greytown councillor Martin Bosley thought having three ward councillors and four community board members per town was “almost over-representation.” 

Councillor Colin Olds said then that community boards had “served a purpose in those early days” (post-1989 council amalgamations) but questioned if they were now fit-for-purpose? 

Deputy Mayor Melissa Sadler-Futter said South Wairarapa’s community boards were not set up to succeed and had not been given “a clear understanding of their purpose. I think they need to be reviewed in terms of what are their purpose, how do they succeed, and what are they there for.” Councillors Kaye McAuley, Rebecca Gray and Aidan Ellims voted with the others to support a formal community board review, though each indicated their continuing support for the boards.  

July 31’s committee also voted to retain a newly-minted district-wide Maori Ward, though central Government has passed legislation demanding they be either scrapped or put to a referendum vote.

The issues were raised as part of the six-yearly Local Government Act requirement of a representation review by each local body. Any changes will be confirmed after public hearings in September and formally adopted on October 2.