Western Bay community boards have hit back at a proposal to merge, with one saying it would be “eroding a democracy”.

At an appeal hearing on Thursday , four of the region’s five community boards spoke against the proposed changes because it would diminish their local voice.

Yet Western Bay of Plenty District Council said it would create fairer representation for everyone.

Western Bay currently has five community boards, each with four members and two councillors, representing Waihī Beach, Katikati, Ōmokoroa, Te Puke and Maketū.

A community board is a group of elected members who represent the interests of their area and act as a link between the community and the council.

Council is proposing to scrap the five boards and have three that follow the ward boundaries of Maketū-Te Puke, Kaimai and Katikati-Waihī Beach.

The boards would have six elected members, and two councillors appointed from the respective wards.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council will have elections in October. Photo / Alex Cairns

Nearly everywhere in the district, would be covered by a community board under the proposal.

That means areas like Whakamārama, Pukehina, Pongakawa and Paengaroa - which currently have no board - would be better represented. Matakana and Rangiwaea Islands would not be part of a board.

The proposal is part of the council’s representation review that seeks to best represent the region’s 62,000 residents.

Representation reviews set the number of councillors, the number of wards and their boundaries, and the make-up of community boards for an area. They must be carried out every six years.

The proposal was adopted at a council meeting in November. People could appeal this to the Local Government Commission which led to Thursday’s hearing.

Commissioners Brendan Duffy, Bonita Bigham, Gwen Bull heard from 10 submitters about the proposal and all but one were opposed to changing the number of community boards.

Mayor James Denyer said the proposal provided effective representation for everyone. Photo / Brydie Thompson.

Western Bay mayor James Denyer and deputy mayor John Scrimgeour explained council’s reasons for the proposal then responded to issues raised by submitters during the four-hour hearing.

Denyer said the current community board arrangement did not work well and about 40% of the district was not represented by a board.

He said the Matakana and Rangiwaea Island communities’ desire was “direct engagement” with council for their population of around 250 people.

“The final proposal provides an equitable outcome that improves fair and effective representation.”

Scrimgeour said three boards would also reduce the rates people paid to $17.25 per property in the district.

Currently properties in a community board area paid a targeted rate which varied from $23.41 to $184.64.

Waihī Beach Community Board chair Dani Simpson said community boards were the “pulse of our place”.

“We believe that when you diminish our voice, you’re not just redrawing boundaries on a map, that’s severing decades of trust with the council, with our identity, and the wisdom that comes from knowing a community like the back of your hand. It’s a decision that isn’t about efficiency, but it is eroding a democracy.”

The coastal town of Waihī Beach had different challenges to its inland neighbour Katikati. Photo / NZME

The proposal treated Waihī Beach and Katikati as “interchangeable cells”, but the areas had different challenges and infrastructure needs.

“We are looking to merge a coastal haven with an inland horticulture hub.”

Several submitters said the bigger boards could mean the different communities would compete for funding.

Te Puke Community Board deputy chair Dale Snell said the board was “approachable and trusted” and the small area they covered led to its success.

“We are a passionate community board, and this is how we achieve the big and the small things.”

The new proposal would see them “competing for resources” and “water down the passion and the drive” that enabled the community and the board to thrive.

The Maketū and Katikati Community Board chairs shared similar concerns.

Michael Jones was a Western Bay councillor from 1998-2010. Photo / Stuart Whitaker

Former Western Bay councillor Michael Jones said small communities depended on each other and would have a larger influence if they combined.

“I’m personally for uniting people, bringing them together, not dividing us up into small little groups.”

The proposed three boards would create an opportunity for a “more united voice” for each area, he said.

The proposal would also reduce the number of councillors at the table from 11 plus the mayor to nine plus the mayor.

It would also establish a Māori ward that covered the entire district, called Waka Kai Uru ward.

Local Government Commission will release its decision by April 10.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.