Pegasus Residents Group Incorporated C/- 60 Infinity Drive Pegasus 7612 Waimakariri Representation Review Yes it does affect you – so, what can you do about it? Currently Waimakariri has four ward areas – Kaiapoi, Rangiora, Woodend-Ashley and Oxford-Eyre. At least once every six years, the Council is required to review its representation arrangements and to provide ‘fair and effective representation for individuals and communities’. Public consultation began earlier in 2015, a hearing panel considered public submissions at the beginning of October and the Council made their final decision later in the month. The Pegasus Residents’ Group Inc. did not see a need to make a submission during the public consultation process as they were happy with what was proposed; the Kaiapoi-Woodend Ward to have two Community Boards, with five elected board members to each, with one Board serving the Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi areas and the other serving the Woodend-Pegasus to Sefton areas. However, the Hearing Panel made a decision to change the advertised plan and have just one community board representing the entire area from Kaiapoi to Sefton. This community board will have 5 members from the Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi area and 3 from the Woodend-Sefton area. The new proposal has prompted the Pegasus Residents’ Group to lodge an objection to the decision and the process that led to it. PRGI encourage all residents in the area to have a say. With that in mind, an opportunity has been created for you to be part of our appeal by signing the form attached. The form can also be found at the Flat White Café, the Pegasus General Store, The Waikuku Beach Store and the Sefton Store. You can also offer your support by emailing us at [email protected] or 60 Infinity Drive, Pegasus 7612. Some of the reasons for our objection are: The original submission form contained ambiguous wording. The Hearing Panel received a report informing them how many people ‘support ‘and how many ‘oppose’ the two community boards for Kaiapoi-Woodend ward. There was no question on the submission form worded to ‘support’ or ‘oppose’. In fact, the question was worded in terms of how ‘important’ the person considered it to have two community boards in the Kaiapoi-Woodend ward. Those who opposed were mostly from Oxford and all outside the affected area. PRGI believe that the Hearing Panel exceeded its delegated responsibilities by introducing discussion on parts of the Waimakariri District Council initial proposal for Representation Arrangements for the 2016 Local elections that were not submitted upon. A lack of opportunity for the public to give feedback on something they were unaware of. The Woodend/Pegasus/Ravenswood area is facing considerable and ongoing growth in population and facilities (with much of this having taken place since the last local elections). The decision to have five representatives for Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi and three for Woodend-Pegasus clearly puts Woodend-Pegasus at an even bigger disadvantage than that already created by taking away their own community board. Kaiapoi is a large area in its own right with its own issues. It is as far from Woodend-Pegasus as Rangiora is and its issues quite different to ours. The areas covered by a Kaiapoi-Woodend community board would be too diverse to ensure both areas received the focus they need and deserve. The very name ‘community board’ surely sums up the situation. Woodend - Pegasus are one community, while Kaiapoi is another. We are all part of the wider community of Waimakariri. Woodend-Pegasus are no more part of the Kaiapoi community than they are of Rangiora. Kaiapoi and Rangiora are our service towns and both are important to our communities, but we should not have to compete with them for attention and funds on matters that are important to Woodend-Pegasus residents. The opportunity for our community's voice to be heard under the amended structure is considerably less than with the original proposal of two community boards. We are working hard to build a sense of community in Pegasus and have also taken steps (such as the recently released Pegasus and Woodend Community Directory) to build a closer relationship with the Woodend community. Having a community board representing the Woodend-Pegasus area can only assist this strengthening of communities with ongoing benefits for the wider district. Those wanting more detail could check recent news articles in the Northern Outlook, Kaiapoi Advocate, The Woodpecker, Pegasus Snippets or go on the Council’s website to check the related documents. http://waimakariri.govt.nz/your_council/members-meetings/agendas-minutes/council- agendas-minutes.aspx Any appeals and objections must be received by WDC by 5pm on 25 November 2015. For further information about the process, contact Sarah Nichols at WDC ([email protected]). The matter will then be considered by the Local Government Commission. You are welcome to email your support or comments to us at [email protected] for inclusion with our objection. Please act NOW. We need information and signatures back to us by 20 November to ensure we have time to complete our objection by 25 November. Please feel free to share this with friends and neighbours. Signatures and support can come from anyone living in the Waimakariri District, as long as they are aged 18 or over. Rhonda Mather Secretary Pegasus Residents’ Group Inc. Email: [email protected] Website: pegasusresidentsgroup.com .