Waihi Beach wants to expand its ward boundaries in the face of fears it will lose its only councillor if the Western Bay of Plenty District Council merges its five wards into three.

The board's proposal would see 845 residents from Katikati incorporated in the Waihi Beach area.

Waihi Beach Community Board chairman Murray Craig, who has also lodged a personal submission against the planned changes, says Waihi Beach would not have enough elector residents to secure a councillor and instead risks losing representation to Katikati.

Submissions closed on Monday, October 8 on council's proposal to change from five wards across the district to three and reduce councillor numbers from 12 to 11.

The three new wards are based on communities of interest centred on the service centres of Katikati, Tauranga and Te Puke.

Murray has suggested the communities of Kauri Point, Ongare Point and Tanners Point and their rural areas, known as the Tahawai Mesh Blocks, plus Matakana Island, could become part of the Waihi Beach ward, not Katikati.

'This would mean Waihi Beach would gain 845 more people, while Katikati would lose that number, but still have a population of 7955, equalling 3977 people per councillor.”

Murray's concern is that Waihi Beach residents would be out-voted by Katikati the three councillors of the Western ward would be elected from Katikati, which has 75 per cent of the voting population.

'Waihi Beach is a special community of interest and contributes 18 per cent of council rates. Council's final proposal is undemocratic and results in rating without representation for existing Waihi Beach Community and Ward,” he says.

'Council believes that because two councillors from the Western ward would be `attached' to the Waihi Beach Community Board, this area will be better represented.

'The reality is that local issues are better addressed by an empathetic local councillor with a working knowledge of and sympathy for local problems. Katikati councillors on the other hand have been highly critical of Waihi Beach.”

Ongare Point Ratepayers Association chairman Warren Yardly was not aware of the Waihi Beach submission for the boundary change but says, provided Ongare Point rates didn't increase, the proposal has some merit.

'We are a seaside community like Waihi Beach and the change would create a point of difference for Ongare Point. Katikati is our commercial centre and we would not want to be totally divorced from there.

'However, we have enjoyed reasonable representation from a Katikati councillor in recent times,” he said.

Tanners Point Residents and Ratepayers Association chairman Don Barnes doesn't support the proposal.

'This would not be appropriate for Tanners Point as our natural association and use of council facilities is with Katikati.

'The boundary arrangement suggested would not be agreeable to the Tanners Point Residents. I appreciate Waihi Beach's position but do not believe it is a solution to their problem, which is acceptable to Tanners Point.”

Council's first proposal was for three wards and eight councillors. That attracted 100 submissions of which 72 did not support three wards, 83 said no to eight councillors and 93 wanted to retain community boards.

Following those submissions, council changed its proposal from 8 to 11 councillors and three wards. The review is required to be undertaken by the Local Electoral Act 2001 every six years.

The new wards would be: Eastern ward Te Puke and Maketu current wards; Central ward Kaimai current ward and Western ward Katikati and Waihi Beach current wards together with Matakana Island.