Waitākere Ranges Local Board


Waitākere Ranges Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of the Auckland Council, and is one of the two boards overseen by the council's Waitākere Ward councillors.
The board's administrative area includes the suburbs of Titirangi, Glen Eden, Konini and Swanson and the towns of Te Henga, Piha, Karekare, Huia and Laingholm, and covers the area from Waitākere Ranges to O'Neill Bay. The total population residing in the board's area, in the 2013 New Zealand census, was 48,396.
The board is governed by six board members elected at-large. The inaugural members were elected in the nationwide 2010 local elections, coinciding with the introduction of the Auckland Council.

Geography

The Waitākere Ranges local board area includes the Waitākere Ranges and surrounds. Laingholm, Waima, Titirangi, Oratia, Glen Eden and Sunnyvale are located to the east of the ranges. Henderson Valley, Waitakere, Swanson are located to the north. Bethells Beach, Piha and Whatipu are located on the West Coast.

Demographics

Waitākere Ranges Local Board Area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.
Waitākere Ranges had a population of 53,898 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,803 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 5,499 people since the 2013 census. There were 26,757 males, 26,874 females and 270 people of other genders in 18,150 dwellings. 3.8% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 37.9 years. There were 11,058 people aged under 15 years, 9,702 aged 15 to 29, 26,610 aged 30 to 64, and 6,525 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 70.0% European ; 13.8% Māori; 13.2% Pasifika; 17.4% Asian; 2.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 2.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.5%, Māori language by 2.6%, Samoan by 3.3%, and other languages by 18.6%. No language could be spoken by 2.3%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 31.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 27.9% Christian, 4.0% Hindu, 2.0% Islam, 0.7% Māori religious beliefs, 1.2% Buddhist, 0.6% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 55.0%, and 7.0% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 13,344 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 20,646 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 8,850 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $48,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 6,975 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 23,640 people were employed full-time, 5,934 were part-time, and 1,335 were unemployed.

2025-2028 term

The current board members for the 2025–2028 term, elected at the 2025 local elections, are:
Members Greg Presland and Michelle Lucke are sharing the title of deputy chairperson. Greg Presland holding the title for the first half of the electoral term, and Michelle Lucke holding the title for the second.

2022–2025 term

The board members for the 2022–2025 term, elected at the 2022 local elections, were:

2019–2022 term

The 2019–2022 Board members were:

2019 election results

1. PRESLAND, Greg Future West 6556
2. TURNER, Ken - WestWards 6242
3. CONEY, Sandra - Future West 6067
4. TOMS, Saffron - Future West 5603
5. ALLEN, Mark - Future West 5448
6. CLAYTON, Michelle WestWards-Independent 5350
HENDERSON, Neil Future West 5317
ROBERTS, Mark Future West 4964
POTAUAINE, Linda WestWards 4462
KELLY, Cheryl WestWards-Independent 4139
CATHCART, Angus WestWards 3835
DEMPSTER, Dave WestWards 2760
SHEPHERD, Christine Independent 2451
HARTNETT, Tony Independent 2326
WINEERA, Michelle Independent 1506
Blank 729

2018 by-election results

Ken Turner was the successful candidate in the by-election.