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Counter-Objection

Relates to objections

N47-001

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Max Shierlaw

Te Awaikairangi is a name used for the entire Hutt Valley and is not specific to Lower Hutt. For example Awaikairangi Park is in Upper Hutt which is the present Rimutaka electorate. If the electorate name is to be changed to a Maori name then the local Iwi and Rununga should be proposing the change. The electorate's name should not be changed on the basis of a single objection to a Representation Review.

Counter-Objection

Relates to objections

N48-001

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Mr John Plunkett

I have lived in the Electorate for the majority of my life and the local people are aware of the boundaries and how they fit in the local region.
The boundaries are within the population tolerance and should not change.
The election is in less than nine months potentially and making a change like this could disenfranchise local voters which is not necessary.
The Wilton suburb is firmly in the Wellington Central Electorate and the current boundary is sufficient to provide separation between Wilton and Wadestown.

Objection

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Mr Chris Geddes

Here goes a spanner in the works! The West Coast-Tasman electorate is the second largest in the country by area, and the largest in distance (from one end to the other.)
It is also fragmented - the southern alps slices the electorate in two. There is absolutely no commonality of interest between the West Coast and the Tasman District. Coasters travel to Christchurch and its environs more frequently for business and supplies than they do to Tasman. The West Coast mail and courier services are all serviced from Christchurch, the trains connect the West Coast to Christchurch, our fuel comes from Christchurch as does the majority of our foodstuff supplies. Hokitika Airport connects to Christchurch. In short, notwithstanding that the West Coast is still separated from Canterbury by the southern alps, that is the area with which we have a commonality of interest. Medical evacuations from the Coast invariably cross to Christchurch - although Nelson has excellent local infrastructure it is considered just too remote to be of much interest or service to Coasters.
The Coast is poorly represented as a result of this historic anomaly. Our local MP lives in the northern end of the electorate at present, and seldom visits the coast. I do not blame him for ignoring the Coast, it is just too bloody difficult for him to get here. To visit the coast he may be lucky enough to get the early bird from Nelson to Christchurch, then another flight to Hokitika. But if he misses the early bird, then he must travel to Wellington first, then Christchurch before crossing to Hokitika, and then having to find his way north to the Greymouth RSA where he holds constituent clinics. The poor bugger arrives in Grey right on lunchtime, so unless he has packed a picnic lunch he does not begin to see constituents until 1:30-ish - then has to be back in Hokitika to get the last bird out at 5:30. Constituents are frustrated at the tyranny of distance - there would not be many locations in New Zealand where your local MP's office may be 500km's away through some of the most unforgiving terrain that our country has to offer.
Only yesterday I was talking to our local tyre merchant, he had just done a day trip to Christchurch to collect some stock, and when I asked him whether he considered purchasing stock from Nelson he replied that he was "not that brave or stupid."

Objection

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Mr Philip de Weck

Brightwater is essentially a dormitory township for Richmond and Nelson. Their interests, from a political view point, are those of the Nelson electorate. To remove them from this and arbitrarily place them in the West Coast electorate is a grave invasion of their democratic rights and a denial of their ability to be involved in local matters that may materially affect them. It is for these reasons that I strongly object to the proposal.

Objection

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Mrs Marissa Kerwin-Boulton

Don’t want to be changed to west coast electric - why vote for an electric area based three hours away?! when should be voting for Nelson where I actually spend my time & live my life!!!

Objection

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Miss Sarah Boulton (and Mr Chris Lowe)

I do not want to change from Nelson to Tasman-Westcoast, I do not live on the coast.

Objection

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Elizabeth Kitson

Tasman and the westcoast have far differing requirements from government. It is difficult to ascertain the needs of such a broad area based solely on population. I understand this is a difficult area to split but it is very very diverse and the current MPs are unable to service the whole area. The demands from the public vary and being sparsely populated it means no one gets the time, effort and funding they require.

Objection

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Neil Read

getting sick of the Tasman part of the electorate dictating the welfare of the west coast when they have no involvement in the unique life style businesses and employment here but due to there overwhelming ratio Tasman to West-coaster think they can bulldoze there choice on us.

Objection

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Ms Karen Murray

My objection is to the actual boundary- we live 5 minutes from Rangiora - have absolutely nothing to do with Kaikoura yet our representation is from there - we need to be with Rangiora

Objection

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New Zealand Labour Party

We oppose any change to the southern boundary of Christchurch East. There appears to be no nessesity to make any changes to the Christchurch East electorate. The electorate is projected to grow by several thousand people, and fall only 692 people shy of remaining within the 5% quota by 2023.
The Commission’s reasoning for this change, that it will put the electorate more ‘comfortably’ within quota,we do not find to be compelling enough to disrupt the representation of these people and strike a line down the middle of this community. The proposal is at odds with the Commission’s stated desire to seek minimal change –at most the Commission should be seeking simply to achieve the 5% quota by 2023. We note that the Commission has chosen not to pursue the same approach for other electorates close to the 5% quota limit (e.g. Rongotai, which is projected to be further under it’s quota by 2023). Accordingly, we encourage the Commission to take a consistent approach.
If the Commission prefers to ensure that the projected population for Christchurch East remains within the 5% quota in 2023, we suggest instead that a much smaller and less disruptive change could be made. The small area around Mairehau School on the boundary of Christchurch Central could be moved into Christchurch East. The new boundary between the electorates would run along Dudley creek as it passes through Walter Park – a much more natural boundary than the existing one.
This would be significantly less disruptive than the proposed division of Bromley, as it does not sever a cohesive community in two. It also relocates less people, just enough to bring Christchurch East within quota on 2023 projections, and much more in line with the aim to create minimal changes.

• Labour Party Submission to Representation Commission Dec 2019 (pdf 613 KB)

Counter-Objection

Relates to objections

S05-001, S05-002

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Hon Nicky Wagner

I oppose the division of Mairehau as proposed in objection S05-001. Cutting Mairehau High School and the surrounding streets off from the rest of Mairehau would only divide up another community of interest and not solve the issue of Bromley's current division. The proposed boundaries would actually put all of Bromley into one electorate, whereas objection S05-001 seeks to keep Bromley divided and create a new division in Mairehau.
The upper end of Hills Road (between Innes and QEII Drive) and the attached cul-de-sacs, can only be entered from the Hills/Innes Road intersection. It is also unclear whether Lady Isaac Retirement Village would go into Christchurch East in this objection given the main entrance is from east of Dudley Creek. The area is wholly linked to Mairehau, including the location of shops, schools, sports clubs, churches and other community services that service these streets. The current boundaries for Christchurch Central should be maintained.
Appendix A - NZ Post Definition of Mairehau Suburb (Google Maps)
Appendix B - Area understood to be proposed in S05-001, highlighting only entry from Hills Road and separation of schools around Mairehau. Dudley Creek highlighted by the blue line.

• 2020 Boundary Review Counter Objection Appendices (pdf 1 MB)

Objection

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Mrs Jan Walker

I don't want large areas of rural Selwyn electorate to go back to Banks Peninsula. Selwyn electorate is mainly rural with isolated urban/suburban centres like Lincoln, Prebbleton, Leeston and Rolleston. It would be a shame if Akaroa were joined up again with all the suburban areas of Christchurch City.

Objection

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David Hyndman

Horomaka. This is the original name of our region, also known as Banks Peninsula.

Objection

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Alister France

The village of Geraldine in Canterbury has now been an orphan to its area of interest for many years now and I ask that the commission consider placing Geraldine into the Ashburton / Timaru electorate. It very easy for the commission to allocate electorates based on numbers without considering the social impacts of people's representation. Geraldine has no interest in Waitaki but it does have a close connection with Timaru and Ashburton. Because Geraldine has been an electorate 'orphan' for several elections now doesn't mean the voters should continue to suffer abysmal representation for a further election.

Objection

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Mike Clare

To whom it may concern: I live just out of Geraldine. All our dealings are with either Timaru or Ashburton. While I accept the rationale for population.. determining boundaries. Including this area in with the greater Waitaki is bizarre! Its obvious whoever did this has no concept of the topography/roading etc. Please show some common sense