Governance

Functions and Responsibilities

Every three years Tararua District residents have the opportunity to elect 9 Councillors and a Mayor to represent their interests.  The next election will be held on 11 October 2025.

Although Councillors are elected by Wards (determined by communities of interest and population ratios), their principal role is to work in the interests of the District as a whole.

The District's Community Boards and Community Committees play an important role in providing a local link and point of contact with Council. The Community Board members are elected at the same time as the Mayor and Councillors, and the Community Committees follow their own electoral processes as incorporated societies.  The Council appoints up to two Councillors to each Community Board to strengthen the links between the Boards and the Council, and appoints a liaison councillor to each Community Committee. The Community Committees carry out their functions under contract to Council, and the Community Boards exercise their roles as set out in legislation and as delegated by Council.

The purpose of the Council, as set out in Section 10 of the Local Government Act 2002, is to enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities. Also, to meet the current and future needs of communities for good quality local infrastructure, local public services, and performance of regulatory functions in a way that is most cost-effective for households and businesses.

In meeting its purpose, the Tararua District Council has a number of roles:

  • facilitating local solutions to local needs;
  • advocacy on behalf of the local community with central government and other local authorities and agencies;
  • development of local resources;
  • management of local infrastructure including network infrastructure (eg roads, sewage disposal, water, stormwater) and community infrastructure (eg libraries, parks and reserves, recreational facilities, camping grounds, cemeteries, community buildings, swimming pools, pensioner housing, public conveniences);
  • environmental and regulatory management;
  • civil defence and emergency management;
  • district promotion and economic development;
  • planning for the future needs of the local district.