After 11 retirements, the election outcome could vary from a total replacement of councillors all the way to only one newcomer, with different mixes in between.
The 24 councillors putting themselves up for re-election would have the benefits of incumbency, knowledge and visibility in their expanded wards.
They would also get some credit for having tackled reform after the long-running governance and representation review was approved by shareholders in October 2016.
Council chairman Duncan Coull, who would be standing again, said the council had given effect to the recommendation of shareholders last year that a self-review should establish the reduced number of wards within the range permitted by the constitution.
Councillors had decided to downsize from 35 to 25 with all wards be re-elected this year.
Subsequently 11 councillors – Terence Brocx of the Far North, Bill Millar of South Auckland, Kevin Ferris and Steve Hines of South Waikato, Kevin Turnbull of north Taranaki, Rob Poole of Egmont Plains, Ellen Bartlett of northern Manawatu, former deputy chairman Philip Palmer of Wairarapa, Charles Whitehead of Ashburton, current deputy chairman Greg Kirkwood of Waitaki and Vaughan Templeton of western Southland – said they would retire.
One of them said the self-review was harmonious and the outcome should lead to better decision-making.
Coull echoed that hope in the official announcement of the election process.
“A smaller Shareholders’ Council will increase the pool of potential candidates in each ward, increase competition and lift the calibre of future councillors.
“Furthermore, it will increase the accountability of individual councillors to the farmers in their ward.”
The self-review and downsizing decision was completed by the council in July and the outcome had been communicated to farmer-shareholders since then.
Nominations closed at noon on Thursday, September 21.
Details of the new wards were contained with the candidate handbook available from the returning officer and all candidates had to satisfy eligibility requirements.
After this year the council would resume a three-year term for councillors, with one third of wards up for election each year.
The sequence would begin with wards 1, 4, 7 etc, then wards 2, 5, 8 etc and in the third year (2020) wards 3, 6, 9 etc would be up for election.
The boundaries had been redrawn to include an average of 420 supply farms in each, compared with 300 previously.
“We felt that a smaller number of higher-quality councillors would discharge their duties of representing farmers and monitoring the board more effectively,” a retiring councillor said.
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Nomination papers and handbooks are available from the election helpline on 0800 666 034 or at iro@electionz.com
