View objections and counter-objections

Objection

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Jess Parker

I object to the proposal that Prebbleton be the only Selwyn district township to be excluded from the electorate, and be included in a roll alongside Hornby & Wigram.
Whilst Prebbleton is a rapidly growing township, it still yields a large portfolio of farms and lifestyle blocks which align with the Selwyn profile. Combining Prebbleton into an electoral zone where the surrounding suburbs have multiple primary schools (Prebbleton only have 1), more higher density housing & in general are “established” creates a divide in attention and priority for the MP.
Prebbleton need to keep their goals aligned with Selwyn - Growth, supportive infrastructure, and respecting the “semi rural” profile.

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Objection

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Stephanie Hutchinson

I pay my rates to Timaru District Council and yet I am represented by the Waitaki electorate.

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Objection

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Alex Rodgers

This proposal calls for Geraldine to be added to the Rangitata electorate.

Geraldine is a small town in Timaru district. It sits near the larger towns of Timaru and Ashburton, and has its closest relationships with those urban areas, particularly Timaru to which its residents often go to for schooling, healthcare, and shopping. Both Timaru and Ashburton are in the Rangitata electorate, but currently Geraldine is not; it sits in Waitaki. Geraldine is isolated by great distance from any notable urban areas in Waitaki.

The previous Representation Commission received many submissions calling for Geraldine to be moved into Rangitata to be connected with the larger urban areas it is associated with. I repeat those calls, and note that the situation is even better suited now for the move.

Rangitata is underpopulation, and forecast to go even further under (0.2% under at the 2023 census; forecast to be -2.6% by 2029). Waitaki is overpopulation, and forecast to go even further over (3.5% over at the 2023 census; forecast to be 4.6% by 2029). This situation is ideal for transfer of a small population from Waitaki to Rangitata. I estimate that all of Geraldine (plus a small rural area allowing a connection) could be moved without any need for adjustments in other places.

I would also like to pre-empt a criticism the Commission may have of this proposal. From reviewing past boundary changes, and those proposed here, it appears it is the philosophy of the Commission that if a boundary is not required to change to handle an electorate being outside the 5% quota limit, then no change can be made to that boundary regardless of any other circumstances. This approach would not appear to match the stated criteria for determining boundaries, under which the Commission is required to give due to consideration to multiple factors, of which "existing electoral boundaries" is only one.

I hold that in this case, the value of better connecting communities of interest is greater than the value of maintaining the existing electorate boundaries. I trust that you will give due consideration to these two values and not simply state that one value overrules all others.

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Objection

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Mrs Jan Oliver

My objection is to Geraldine being in the Waitaki electorate. Geraldine has languished in this electorate for too long.
Geraldine is a rural town, 3 residential care facilities with 1 hospital status, end of life care, secure dementia unit and a lifestyle village containing over 100 homes.
We have two primary schools and a 1 - 7 high school, 14 buses transport children children too and fro to school twice daily to a Verry wide rural area from Hinds to Skipton bridge and down to the coast. Timaru District Council is our local body and the Timaru Hospital if our local hospital where we arrive b y ambulance, get specialist care and if we require further treatment we go to Christchurch not Dunedin.
Have you heard of gerrymandering because this is what it sounds like, these two electorates are strong national strongholds but it hasn't always been that way. Geraldine was in the old electorate of Aoraki before the boundary change, between the rivers of Rangitata and Waitaki, ocean to the alps. These two electorates take up a fare chunk of the South Island and with our ever growing population it is only going to get more of problem and our aging population is going to get and ever growing problem and I'm in that age group.
The representation in all ages group between Rangitata and Waitaki if 2-1, thats not proportional representation. Not plus or minus 5%.

Objection

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Mrs Karen Ross

I object that the township of Geraldine is included in the Waitaki Electorate when this town is part of SOUTH CANTERBURY for all other intents and purposes. We are not part of OTAGO! We have a relatively small population (of just over 3,000) which is not huge enough to greatly alter the population figures of the Rangitata Electorate. We pay our Rates to Timaru District Council; we go to Timaru Public Hospital for treatment and Specialist care, then referred to Christchurch Hospital if need be, not Dunedin. It seems to me to be ludicrous that Geraldine is included into the greater Waitaki region of the South Island.

Objection

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Mike Michaels

Name of seats

Objection

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Mike Michaels

Name not fit for purpose - majority of Southland region population is in Invercargill, majority of Southland seat population is from Otago

Counter-Objection

Relates to objections

S15001

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Mr Ross Thomson

That Winton remain in the Southland Electorate as it is inseparable to the Central Southland Area which it services

Counter-Objection

Relates to objections

S15002

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Margot Hishon

In my opinion, an electorate name should reflect the sum of its parts, the Southland electorate name does not achieve this.
The people of Southland and Central Otago, as you would expect, have pride and loyalty of the places they call home. When you get something as simple and yet important as the name of the electorate they reside in, which does not truly reflect who they are, Southern heckles arise!
To give the people ownership, pride and loyalty to and of their electorate, give them a name they can truly relate to.

Counter-Objection

Relates to objections

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Mr Richard Soper

I am objecting to the proposal to form a Central-Lakes electorate and divide the present Taieri electorate between what is left of the Waitaki and Southland electorates.
Whilst the communities of the Wakatipu area, the Upper Clutha and Alexandra-Clyde do have much in common, I believe the proposals exaggerates the difference between these and the areas they are included with in the present electorates. Furthermore the proposed solution will combine areas with very little common interest.
There have been links between the Wakatipu and Southland for a long time. The area was covered by the Southland DHB, the Southland Police District and the Southland Education Board. As part of the area covered by Trustbank Southland, Community Trust South provides grants in the area. Over the years many Southlanders have retired here and others have invested in its businesses. The Te Anau basin relies heavily on tourism, very often on trips which also include Queenstown, and places like Lumsden increasingly see overseas visitors. Similarly, there are definite links between tourism in the Upper Clutha area and the Mackenzie Basin. The argument that the provision of shared services in the area would benefit from having a single MP is questionable, as is the implication that an MP will struggle to represent both tourism and agricultural interests.
The proposed solution however would lead to an outcome combining communities with very little in common, especially in the proposed Southland Heartland electorate. Having taken into account the population that would be lost to a Central Lakes electorate, the boundary shown on the attached map seems to be the only way to divide up the Taieri electorate and have the required electoral populations in each. It would mean that the Dunedin area would be split between three electorates with Mosgiel in one that would also include the Mackenzie Basin, Fairlie and Geraldine, whilst South Dunedin would be in with Central Southland and the Te Anau Basin. This is far more inappropriate than the present situation in Central Otago.

• 2025 Counter Objection Form Redacted (pdf 278 KB)
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Counter-Objection

Relates to objections

S15002

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Harrison Croy

I oppose both name suggestions. Wakatipu Southland as a name does not reflect the large portion of Otago (e.g. Alexandra, Clyde, Roxburgh, Teviot Valley and West Otago areas) contained within the Southland electorate. Southern Lakes would not be suitable as the lakes within the region are not exclusively located within the Southland electorate but also the Waitaki electorate.

Counter-Objection

Relates to objections

S15003

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Matthew French

I strongly object to these proposed changes to the electorate boundaries, particularly the division and redistribution of communities within Taieri and the merging with Waitaki.

The decision to place Mosgiel in a separate electorate from Taieri and to split St Clair into Southland simply makes no sense. These areas share no communities of interest with regions such as Oamaru, and the proposed changes fail to reflect the social and economic realities of the region.

Dunedin operates as a central community, with residents—including those in Mosgiel—frequently coming into the city for essential services, shopping, boarding schools, and community engagement. The proposed electorate shifts disrupt these existing connections and create unnecessary fragmentation.

The distinction between urban Dunedin and rural Southland is stark, and the proposed changes fail to respect the natural division between these areas.

This proposal would introduce a fragmented and impractical structure, lacking the simple, logical flow that is crucial for effective representation.

At a time when stability is essential, major upheaval in electorate boundaries is unwarranted.

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Counter-Objection

Relates to objections

S15003

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Nicky Rhodes

I strongly object to Jon Mitchell's suggestion to change the Waitaki Electorate boundary - this is a self serving attempt from him to attempt to gain a seat in Parliament. Our electorate very much represents the citizens of the region and most Waitaki and Southland Electorate are well connected to either Dunedin/Invercargill for their services, children at boarding school/university etc. As for healthcare, this is already treated as SDHB anyway so Otago/Southland are one. The proposed changes creates a bitsy complicated boundary, and frankly, no one wants major upheaval at a time like this.

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