Queenstown Lakes district Mayor Glyn Lewers is fighting for Wanaka, Cromwell and Queenstown to have its own constituency under the Otago Regional Council representation review.

The three towns are currently covered by the Dunstan ward, which will receive an extra councillor within the next year - while Dunedin will drop down from six to five, under the review.

Meanwhile, Dunedin leaders are also desperately trying to hang on to their quota, and Local Government New Zealand commissioners considered appeals at a hearing yesterday - one from Queenstown Lakes and the other Dunedin City Council.

Mayor Lewers said the constituency hadn’t changed “since last century” (2018), and yet was in the midst of rapid population growth that would continue for the next 20 years.

A new constituency, alongside Dunstan, would mean Cromwell would break away and form with Wanaka and Queenstown, with three of its own new elected representatives.

But ORC chair Gretchen Robertson said forming a Wanaka/Queenstown/Cromwell constituency and taking Dunedin City council's position to retain 6 councillors incorporating Mosgiel/Strath Taieri, would leave only three councillors to cover the rest of Otago, a huge and diverse area, spanning the Catlins to Waitaki and over to Clyde. 

Otago Regional Council chair Gretchen Robertson. SUPPLIED

The Dunstan ward currently had three elected members and would increase to four from October - Alexa Forbes based in Queenstown has indicated she wouldn’t stand again - alongside Gary Kelliher, of Alexandra, and Michael Laws in Cromwell.

Commissioners asked the regional council why it was waiting another six years to add a constituency when the Queenstown Lakes district was so heavily populated already.

Cr Robertson said there was opposition in putting Cromwell in with Queenstown and Wanaka, and it also meant leaving the Dunstan ward with just one councillor, as the numbers of elected members would shift to the more populated area.

Mayor Lewers’ argument was the Dunstan constituency had significantly different challenges, environment, diverse needs and populations from each other - specifically Queenstown versus Ranfurly or Omakau.

Cr Robertson said she expected there would be quite a lot of interest from people wanting to stand in the Dunstan ward at the next election.

But Mayor Lewers said they couldn’t wait another six years for the next review because the growth was “eyewatering,” and they felt constantly overlooked.

“At some point Queenstown, Wanaka and Cromwell will have higher population numbers than any other constituency,” he said.

Since the last review in 2018, the Dunstan ward population has increased from 57,400 to 78,800.

The representation review received 45 submissions and a further 120 responses to its online survey.

The Local Government Commission will determine the arrangements by April 2025, and they will take effect for the local government elections in October 2025.

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