Community polls favoured

COMMUNITY polls instead of referendums will be used by the Manawatu District Council to gauge land owners’ reactions to proposed wastewater and water supply schemes at Himatangi Beach and Rongotea.

Assets Group Manager, Richard Kirby, said a non-statutory poll had the same effect as a referendum, even though it did not involve required statutory processes such as electoral roll development, public notices and an 82-day lead-in time period.

“Council wanted to get a reliable feedback from the communities on whether to go ahead with the schemes and believed this was the right way to do it.”

He said each voting paper would contain the one question on whether the land owner supported the implementation of the scheme or not.

“Council is concentrating on land owners as the scheme costs will be attached to the land. So it’s the land owner who needs to have the say as they are the ones who have to pay should the scheme go ahead.”

Notification of the polls were to be posted to individual land owners, with the voting papers due out in mid to late March. Voters have three weeks to respond and council is expected to make a decision regarding the schemes at its April meeting.

The Rongotea and Himatangi Beach polls are being conducted concurrently by the Christchurch-based organisation, Elections New Zealand, who is responsible for running the local body elections.

Mr Kirby said running the two polls during the same time period was more cost effective than running them separately.

Water Manager, Wayne Spencer, said it was important that people took up the opportunity to vote: “The schemes are for the community and for the community’s future and people should have their say and make sure they vote.”