News watch: Document released

From tomorrow Rodney residents will be able to have their say about how they should be represented under the new Auckland Council.

The Local Government Commission will be releasing a consultation document with proposed boundaries for local board and councillor wards which will be out for public consultation until December 11.

The commission is responsible for identifying ward and local board boundaries, the names of these and how many people will be elected to each of them.

There is some specific legislation which the commission has had to take into account when developing its recommendation, which is that there be "a single-member ward based on the rural area of Rodney District".

Other wards should have populations of about 70,000 people per councillor.

It seems likely that the more urban parts of Rodney will be included in wards that cross into what are now North Shore and Waitakere cities.

The commission will also need to consider the "communities of interest" within the Auckland region when looking at boundaries.

This means joining similar communities - so for example, a part of the North Shore and the Hibiscus Coast could become one ward.

It will be interesting to see what the commissioners have come up with, taking into account these criteria.

From tomorrow you will be able to view the consultation document online at www.auckland.govt.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News