Tēnā koe Chris

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL INFORMATION AND MEETINGS ACT 1987: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF REQUEST

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 9 April 2024 for information regarding Maori Wards.
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than 20 working days after the day your request was received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe. If the information is no longer required please let us know, it would be much appreciated.

Please note that our response to your information request, including your name, may be published on Hutt City Council’s website.

Nāku noa, nā

Philip

Philip Rossiter
Senior Advisor | Official Information and Privacy 
Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt 5010 
P:   M:   W: www.huttcity.govt.nz

                                                                   

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Milne <[FOI #26372 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2024 11:39 AM
To: Information Requests <[Hutt City Council request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - Calculation of Maori seat entitlement for Hutt City Council

------------------------------------------------------------
WARNING!!!
[Suspected fraudulent email detected]
------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Hutt City Council,

In the agenda papers for the Council meeting on 30 May 2023 reference was made to the formula for the potential number of Maori wards in the city (see (page 126):

12. Sections 19Z and 19ZH of the Act provide that a council may establish a Māori ward(s). With its current 12 councillors, Hutt City Council could have one Māori ward councillor. If the number of councillors was increased to 14, there could be two Māori ward councillors.

Please provide the calculations supporting this paragraph.

In particular, please provide all inputs to the follow statutory formula used for the calculation:

the number of general and Māori ward Councillors is determined by a formula provided in the Local Electoral Act 2001. This formula is as follows:

nmm = mepd ÷ (mepd + gepd) × nm
where—
nmm is the number of Māori ward members
mepd is the Māori electoral population of the district gepd is the general electoral population of the district nm is the proposed number of members of the territorial authority (other than the mayor).

Please provide:
- nmm
- mepd
- gepd

Please advise how the mepd is calculated for the HCC and the numbers that went into making the calculation the council used. Note that the definition of mepd is contained in the Electoral Act 1993:

Definition of Maori Electoral Population in the Act:

Māori electoral population means a figure representing both the persons registered as electors of the Māori electoral districts and a proportion of Māori persons who are not registered as electors of any electoral district and a proportion of Māori persons under the age of 18 years, which figure must be fixed—

(a) by ascertaining a proportion determined by dividing—
(i) the total number of persons, on counting day, either—
(A) registered as electors of Māori electoral districts; or
(B) named on the dormant rolls for Māori electoral districts; by

(ii) the total number of Māori persons, on counting day, either—
(A) registered as electors of Māori electoral districts or General electoral districts; or
(B) named on the dormant rolls for Māori electoral districts or General electoral districts; and

(b) by applying the proportion ascertained under paragraph (a) to the total number of ordinarily resident Māori persons on census day.]

Yours faithfully,

Chris Milne

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #26372 email]

Is [Hutt City Council request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Hutt City Council? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

hide quoted sections

Kia ora Mr Milne,

 

Thank you for your question to Hutt City council on the calculation
supporting the formula for the potential number of Māori wards in the
city. I have been asked to respond to your query as the work on elected
member representation sits with the Strategy and Policy team.

 

As you note, the definitions of general electoral population (GEP) and
Māori electoral population (MEP) are set out in the Electoral Act 1993 for
the purpose of establishing Māori electoral districts for parliamentary
elections. Schedule 1A of the Local Electoral Act 2001 then applies these
statistics for the purpose of defining Māori wards and constituencies in
local government.

 

Statistics NZ is responsible for determining the GEP and the MEP for each
Māori electoral district for parliamentary elections, and it also
determines these for each territorial authority and regional council in
the country.  If you wish to see the specific calculations of the GEP and
MEP for Lower Hutt, you should contact Statistics NZ.

 

The Local Government Commission (LGC) receives these calculations for
councils and publishes them on its website. Here is a link to the LGC
website setting out the GEP and MEP for each council:
[1]https://www.lgc.govt.nz/our-work/represe...

 

For Lower Hutt the GEP is 101,300 and the MEP is 12,700. The formula in
clause 2 of Schedule 1A of the Local Electoral Act 2001 is then applied as
follows:

12,700                   X             12           =             1.3
(rounded down to give 1 Māori ward Cr.)

12,700 + 101,300

 

12,700                   X             14           =             1.5
(rounded up to give 2 Māori ward Crs.)

12,700 + 101,300

 

 

Ngā mihi,

 

 

Richard Hardie
Head Of Strategy & Policy 

Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt 5010 
P:   M: 027 267 4486  W: [2]www.huttcity.govt.nz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Chris Milne <[3][FOI #26372 email]>

Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2024 11:39 AM

To: Information Requests <[4][Hutt City Council request email]>

Subject: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - Calculation of Maori
seat entitlement for Hutt City Council

 

------------------------------------------------------------

WARNING!!!

[Suspected fraudulent email detected]

------------------------------------------------------------

 

Dear Hutt City Council,

 

In the agenda papers for the Council meeting on 30 May 2023  reference was
made to the formula for the potential number of Maori wards in the city
(see (page 126):

 

12. Sections 19Z and 19ZH of the Act provide that a council may establish
a Māori ward(s). With its current 12 councillors, Hutt City Council could
have one Māori ward councillor. If the number of councillors was increased
to 14, there could be two Māori ward councillors.

 

Please provide the calculations supporting this paragraph.

 

In particular, please provide all inputs to the follow statutory formula
used for the calculation:

 

the number of general and Māori ward Councillors is determined by a
formula provided in the Local Electoral Act 2001. This formula is as
follows:

 

nmm = mepd ÷ (mepd + gepd) × nm

where—

nmm is the number of Māori ward members

mepd is the Māori electoral population of the district gepd is the general
electoral population of the district nm is the proposed number of members
of the territorial authority (other than the mayor).

 

Please provide:

- nmm

- mepd

- gepd

 

Please advise how the mepd is calculated for the HCC and the numbers that
went into making the calculation the council used.  Note that the
definition of mepd is contained in the Electoral Act 1993:

 

Definition of Maori Electoral Population in the Act:

 

Māori electoral population means a figure representing both the persons
registered as electors of the Māori electoral districts and a proportion
of Māori persons who are not registered as electors of any electoral
district and a proportion of Māori persons under the age of 18 years,
which figure must be fixed—

 

(a) by ascertaining a proportion determined by dividing—

(i) the total number of persons, on counting day, either—

(A) registered as electors of Māori electoral districts; or

(B) named on the dormant rolls for Māori electoral districts; by

 

(ii) the total number of Māori persons, on counting day, either—

(A) registered as electors of Māori electoral districts or General
electoral districts; or

(B) named on the dormant rolls for Māori electoral districts or General
electoral districts; and

 

(b) by applying the proportion ascertained under paragraph (a) to the
total number of ordinarily resident Māori persons on census day.]

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Chris Milne

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[5][FOI #26372 email]

 

Is [6][Hutt City Council request email] the wrong address for Official
Information requests to Hutt City Council? If so, please contact us using
this form:

[7]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[8]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hamish Bell
Elected Member Support Coordinator 

Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt 5010 
P: 0800 488 824  M: 027 223 6939  W: [9]www.huttcity.govt.nz

                                                                   

[10][IMG]

Richard Hardie
Head Of Strategy & Policy 

Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt 5010 
P:   M: 027 267 4486  W: [11]www.huttcity.govt.nz

                                                                   

[12][IMG]

 

IMPORTANT: The information contained in this e-mail message may be legally
privileged or confidential. The information is intended only for the
recipient named in the e-mail message. If the reader of this e-mail
message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that any use,
copying or distribution of this e-mail message is prohibited. If you have
received this e-mail message in error, please notify the sender
immediately. Thank you

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. https://www.lgc.govt.nz/our-work/represe...
2. http://www.huttcity.govt.nz/
3. mailto:[FOI #26372 email]
4. mailto:[Hutt City Council request email]
5. mailto:[FOI #26372 email]
6. mailto:[Hutt City Council request email]
7. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
8. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
9. file:///tmp/www.huttcity.govt.nz
10. http://hutt.city/10yearplan
11. file:///tmp/www.huttcity.govt.nz
12. http://hutt.city/10yearplan

hide quoted sections

Kia ora Mr Milne,

The information we cited is available on the Local Government Commission website: https://www.lgc.govt.nz/our-work/represe...

The specific tables are here: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.... These tables show the Māori Electoral Population (MEP) and the General Electoral Population (GEP) for each region and territorial authority district as of 30 June 2023.

The information was accessed between July and November 2023, but is still listed as the most current information available for the purposes of calculating the formula for the potential number of Māori wards in Lower Hutt.

Ngā mihi,

Richard Hardie
Head Of Strategy & Policy 
Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt 5010 
P:   M: 027 267 4486  W: www.huttcity.govt.nz

 

Richard Hardie

Head Of Strategy & Policy

Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt 5010

P: M: 027 267 4486 W: www.huttcity.govt.nzIMPORTANT: The information contained in this e-mail message may be legally privileged or confidential. The information is intended only for the recipient named in the e-mail message. If the reader of this e-mail message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that any use, copying or distribution of this e-mail message is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail message in error, please notify the sender immediately. Thank you
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Milne <[FOI #26372 email]>
Sent: Monday, May 6, 2024 6:43 PM
To: Richard Hardie <[email address]>
Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - Calculation of Maori seat entitlement for Hutt City Council

------------------------------------------------------------
WARNING!!!
[Suspected fraudulent email detected]
------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Richard Hardie,

Thank you for your response. Following your answer I made a request to Stat NZ for the information. Can you please advise when Stats NZ provided the following information to HCC, as per your response:

"For Lower Hutt the GEP is 101,300 and the MEP is 12,700."

Yours sincerely,

Chris Milne

-----Original Message-----

Kia ora Mr Milne,

 

Thank you for your question to Hutt City council on the calculation supporting the formula for the potential number of Māori wards in the city. I have been asked to respond to your query as the work on elected member representation sits with the Strategy and Policy team.

 

As you note, the definitions of general electoral population (GEP) and Māori electoral population (MEP) are set out in the Electoral Act 1993 for the purpose of establishing Māori electoral districts for parliamentary elections. Schedule 1A of the Local Electoral Act 2001 then applies these statistics for the purpose of defining Māori wards and constituencies in local government.

 

Statistics NZ is responsible for determining the GEP and the MEP for each Māori electoral district for parliamentary elections, and it also determines these for each territorial authority and regional council in the country.  If you wish to see the specific calculations of the GEP and MEP for Lower Hutt, you should contact Statistics NZ.

 

The Local Government Commission (LGC) receives these calculations for councils and publishes them on its website. Here is a link to the LGC website setting out the GEP and MEP for each council:
[1]https://www.lgc.govt.nz/our-work/represe...

 

For Lower Hutt the GEP is 101,300 and the MEP is 12,700. The formula in clause 2 of Schedule 1A of the Local Electoral Act 2001 is then applied as
follows:

12,700                   X             12           =             1.3 (rounded down to give 1 Māori ward Cr.)

12,700 + 101,300

 

12,700                   X             14           =             1.5 (rounded up to give 2 Māori ward Crs.)

12,700 + 101,300

 

 

Ngā mihi,

 

 

Richard Hardie
Head Of Strategy & Policy 

Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt 5010
P:   M: 027 267 4486  W: [2]www.huttcity.govt.nz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #26372 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

hide quoted sections