How local representation is arranged
Much like the 22 electorates for the general election, your local board and ward areas are determined by where you're registered to vote.
You can only vote for local board candidates and ward councillors from the area your address is registered to. There are 21 local boards and 13 wards in the Auckland region.
Because the mayor's role is Auckland-wide, the list of mayoral candidates will be the same for all Aucklanders.
How local board and ward boundaries are decided
The boundaries for the local boards and wards are related to population.
We conduct a review of ward boundaries and population every six years by ‘representation review’.
What representation reviews are
Representation reviews take a close look at the population within each ward and the subdivisions within them, compared to the number of elected representatives for that area.
These reviews may change the ward boundaries to reflect changes in population and achieve a fair ratio of elected members.
How we keep things fair
It isn’t all down to numbers though. There are exceptions for communities that have either a low or high population within them but share a common community aspect – meaning that rearranging these areas would misrepresent the communities.
These exceptions usually apply to island or isolated communities and rural areas. It is important for communities to feel that they are accurately represented by their elected members.
What representation reviews do
Auckland Council’s local board boundaries can only be reviewed through a representation review.
Representation reviews offer a chance for us to look at the current local boards and wards and make sure that they are represented fairly and effectively.
The next representation review will be before the 2025 local elections which will include an opportunity to introduce Māori wards.
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