Community Board Information

What is a Community Board?

Council has established five Community Boards to represent local communities. The Board acts as an advocate for the interests of its community and has specific "delegations" and responsibilities.

The Board Chairpersons also attend Council meetings (non-voting).

Community Boards consist of an average of five or six elected board members and also include Ward Councillors. Elections are held every three years.

The role of a community board member is similar to that of a Councillor. The Remuneration Authority says specific accountabilities include "to consult with members of the public, local police, education providers and other community stakeholders to develop a sound understanding of the diverse issues facing the community and to obtain their perspectives on the development of council strategies and plans".

The community board's main roles are to:

  • represent and act as advocate for the interests of its community
  • consider and report on all matters referred to it by the Council, or any matter of interest to the board
  • maintain an overview of services provided by the Council within the community
  • prepare an annual submission to the Council for expenditure within the community.
  • communicate with community organisations and special interest groups within the community.

What is a Ward?

The term ward is a term used to describe the different sections of the Peninsula that have their own constituency and representative (like electorates for Government MPs). For instance, residents of Thames live in the "Thames Ward" and are represented by the Thames Community Board and three Thames Councillors.

What Ward am I in?

There are five Wards on the Peninsula:

The lists above only include the major settlements, use our Ward map for more details.

How do I make an appointment to speak at a Public Forum during a Community Board meeting?

No appointments are necessary, just make sure you come to the meeting before it starts and make yourself known to a staff member and they will make sure you are allocated a time slot to speak during the Public Forum. If you wish to speak during a public forum session please contact the relevant Community Board Secretary. See our Public Participation at Meetings page for more information.

Who are my local politicians and how do I contact them?

Please free to contact your elected representatives. See our Councillor and Community Board Members section for elected member contact details. 

When and where do the Community Boards meet?

See our Community Board agenda, Reports and Minutes section for more information.

Find out when the next meeting is scheduled by using our Events & Meetings calendar section. pa

What is an order paper?

An order paper is a collection of reports which make up the content of the Community Board meeting, it includes an agenda (the order of items to be discussed in the meeting).

I can't make a meeting, how do I find out about what happened?

Why not join our eNewsletter and receive the highlights from the meeting straight to your inbox.

Where can I get a copy of the next Community Board meeting order paper?

You can pick up a copy of the latest order paper at your nearest Council Service Centre or District Library. Copies will be made available two working days before the meeting.

How do I find out more about how Local Government works?

Download this summary about Local Government to find out how Local Government operates or visit the website guide to Local Government.

 

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