The Local Government Commission released its final ward boundaries for Auckland today and the result is a city gerrymandered by ACT to favour the interests of the rich.
That’s the verdict from No Right Turn:
There is significant deviation from equal representation, with wards ranging from 24.8% undersize in the case of Rodney, to 12.8% oversize in the case of Orakei. Here’s the full table:
What’s interesting is when you compare which wards are under and oversize (boundaries on the Herald here) with the DHB maps from the Atlas of Socioeconomic Deprivation in New Zealand. Notice a pattern? The rich, in Rodney, Te Irirangi and Franklin, seem to be systematically over-represented (meaning their wards are undersized), while the poor, in Waitakere, Whau, Albert-Eden-Roskill, Manukau, and Papakura, are systemtically under-represented. In a ciy designed by ACT. Funny, that.It is impossible to get wards of exactly equal size, and the Local Electoral Act recognises this by allowing a 10% variation in ward size (the Electoral Act only allows 5%). But while many of the variations fall within the allowance in the Local Electoral Act, their overwhelming direction suggests a systematic bias. The Auckland SuperCity has been gerrymandered in favour of the rich.
Can’t wait for the full page screamer editorial on Rodney’s “attack on democracy” in tomorrow’s Herald. No doubt John Boscawen is already organising the protest march.
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