Represented Variable
Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils and are defined under the Local Government Act 2002 as a city council or district council. Territorial authorities are defined at meshblock and area unit level. When defining the boundaries of territorial authorities, the Local Government Commission placed considerable weight on the 'community of interest'. While the size of a community was a factor, the relevance of the components of the community to each other and the capacity of the unit to service the community in an efficient manner, were the factors on which the Commission placed most emphasis. In general, the seaward boundary of a territorial authority is either the mean high water mark or mean low water springs. The interpretation of 'mean high water mark' includes the edge of man-made structures such as wharves and reclaimed land. A city must have a minimum population of 50,000, be predominantly urban in character, be a distinct entity and a major centre of activity within the region. A district serves a combination of rural and urban communities. The boundaries of wards and their parent territorial authorities may be reviewed in the year immediately preceding the three yearly local government elections. The review is conducted by the territorial authority under provisions contained in the Local Government Act. Territorial authorities are given a unique three digit code. Area Outside Territorial Authority code of 999 is for those areas not included in a Territorial Authorities. Note: Wanganui District Council name changed to Whanganui District Council effective 1 December 2015.
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