Otago Regional Councillor Michael Laws is pleased that the latest representation review will see an extra person allocated to the Dunstan ward.

With significant growth in Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes, the ORC is proposing to reduce the number of Dunedin councillors and add a new one into the district at its next election in October 2025.

Cr Laws (Cromwell) along with Gary Kelliher (Alexandra) and Alexa Forbes (Queenstown) currently sit on the Dunstan ward, and the public is invited to make submissions on the new proposal.

Every six years councils must review how communities are represented in the make-up of their council. 

Michael said Dunedin-based councillors and staff have dominated the ORC for many years, and he believed they had no real understanding of the issues in our area.

One thing many ratepayers didn’t realise was that they were paying for public transport in Dunedin, and also the proposed new $60 million ORC building, he said.

However, more rates come out of the Dunstan ward than in Dunedin because the value of our land and houses was higher, he added. 

As a result, there was taxation without representation, which was a bit of a grievance here in the ward, he said.

“[Think of] all the rabbits you could kill, all the conservation work you could do, all the lagarosiphon.”

Cr Laws’ other gripe with the ORC is the plan to ban all wood fires in Central Otago to help our air quality.

He said wood fires were “what kept Central Otago alive” during winter and with the exorbitant electricity prices, it was fast becoming the most expensive place to live.

Check out this week’s The Outlet podcast to hear more about what he has to say.