Mangawhai Matters: Why Mangawhai holiday home owners should enrol to vote

Issues that matter for Mangawhai

Why Mangawhai holiday home owners should enrol to vote
Are you one of the 1000 or so Mangawhai holiday-home owners who are not enrolled on the Kaipara District Council (KDC) electoral roll? If so, you are giving up your democratic right to vote for:

· Who represents Mangawhai around the council table.

· How many councillors represent Mangawhai at the next local body election.

· Your right as a ratepayer to lobby your council and tell them what you want on a range of issues about which the council may (or may not) seek information from ratepayers.

What happens when you buy a property in Mangawhai?
When you buy a property in Mangawhai, you will only be enrolled as a KDC elector if Mangawhai becomes your primary home and you wish to have your vote for national parliamentary elections and referendums at your new address.

If you choose Mangawhai as your address when national elections are held then you are automatically added as a council voter in this area, covered by the Kaipara District Council.

If your purchase is for a holiday home or a rental property, and you remain on the parliamentary roll elsewhere, you will not be automatically added to the KDC roll for local body elections.

We think that whenever someone buys a property anywhere, the relevant local authority should send them an enrolment form. This is because very few people know they are either entitled to vote in their new property local authority area, or how to get on the local body roll. Councils say it is not their role to do this and that it is an expense that other ratepayers shouldn’t have to bear. We say, what’s the cost of a stamp? Hardly an impost to get proper democractic representation.

Records indicate that about 85 per cent of holiday home owners or owners of rental properties are not on the Mangawhai roll and so have no right to influence what happens in our town. Mangawhai Matters has given out about 100 forms to new

property owners at public venues over the last three weeks, as by far the vast majority of what we will now call ‘absentee owners’ are totally unaware they can vote here.

How many councillors will represent Mangawhai at the next election?
Over the next six months KDC is undertaking a statutory process of what is known as a ‘representation review’. Census figures show the Mangawhai and surrounding area (known as the Kaiwaka/Mangawhai ward) is currently vastly under-represented (by around -42 percent) at the council table with only two out of eight councillors. This is because Mangawhai has grown at a faster rate than other areas of Kaipara since the 2013 census. Should the number of councillors remain at eight (and the council decides this) we believe we should have three councillors. But this means another part of the district will need to drop one councillor, so we suspect we will have a battle on our hands.

Ratepayers, community organisations and others can have their say on any draft representation plan the council proposes. If a large number of Mangawhai ratepayers have their say on this, it will carry much more weight at the council table.

Lobbying your council
Kaipara District Council often seeks input from those affected by its future plans, in other words from residents and ratepayers. Recent examples of this are the Wood St traffic plan, the proposed Insley St roundabout proposal, and more recently the Mangawhai Central PPC78 Plan Change. Other input is, at times, sought on the KDC’s Long Term Plan, its Mangawhai District Plan and its recently completed Spatial Plan for Mangawhai. While not a criteria, as a ratepayer your voice must carry more weight as your rates pay for council services.

The 2022 Local Body Elections
This election is just around the corner – next year – in late 2022. If you are not on the roll you can’t influence the outcome. So how do you enrol?

1. You can download the Enrolment Form For Ratepayers Electors from the Mangawhai Matters website mangawhaimatters.com. This details the information you need to complete and where to send the form to have it verified and your name included on the roll.

2. Alternatively, phone Mangawhai Matters Committee member Peter Nicholas on 021 066 5746 to email the form, or contacting the Kaipara District Electoral Officer, PO Box 5135, Wellesley St, Auckland 1141 or by email ratepayer@electionservices.co.nz.

Committee member Profile
One of our committee members is Ian Margan, who has owned a property in Mangawhai for about 23 years, and lived here full-time for the past 12 months. Ian grew up on a farm in west Auckland, attended Auckland Grammar, and during his business career has been involved in many businesses including Matua Valley and Shingle Peak Wineries,

The Hunting Lodge and Swashbucklers restuarants, and Elliott Yachts. A keen sailor he has extensive offshore yacht racing experience and has a passion for cycling and golf. As a businessman, Ian brings vast business and life experience to the Mangawhai Matters committee.

n Want to join the Mangawhai Matters Society Inc. as a member and have a say? It’s only $20 per family per year. Please make deposits to 01-0204-0160241-00. Following your payment please email us at mangawhaimatters@gmail.com giving us your name, phone, and address so we can keep in touch.