Glossary

I
community
A division of a city or district for which a community board has responsibility.

community board
A board established in respect of a community to advise a district or city council on issues affecting the community and to carry out functions delegated to it by the council.

district
The area over which a district or city council has jurisdiction.

draft reorganisation scheme
A scheme issued by the Local Government Commission, appointed local authority or a joint committee of affected local authorities that sets out the details of a proposal for changing the structure of local government. Once the draft reorganisation scheme has been issued, submissions may be made on it.

elector
A person entitled under law to vote at an election or poll.

Local Government Commission
A three-member body appointed by the Minister of Local Government. Among its functions, it considers proposals for uniting, constituting and abolishing local authorities, and it considers appeals against the decisions of appointed local authorities and joint committees of affected local authorities on proposals to alter boundaries or transfer responsibilities.

meshblock
An area defined by Statistics New Zealand for use in collecting census data. Meshblocks are also used in preparing electoral rolls for both local and parliamentary elections.

Order in Council
An order signed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Executive Council, which, for example, gives legal effect to a reorganisation scheme. Orders in Council are published in the New Zealand Gazette.

region
The area over which a regional council has jurisdiction. In the case of a territorial authority which is a unitary authority, it includes the district of the territorial authority.

regional council
A local authority having jurisdiction over a region. Its main functions are related to environmental and resource management.

reorganisation scheme
A scheme issued by the Local Government Commission, appointed local authority, or joint committee of the affected local authorities after it has considered submissions on a draft reorganisation scheme and decided that the scheme should be issued in final form. It is carried into law by an Order in Council.

territorial authority
A city council or district council.

unitary authority
A territorial authority which also has the responsibilities, powers and duties of a regional council.