MP for Epsom David Seymour is commending the Representation Commission for its decision to keep the Epsom Electorate boundaries the same.
"The Commission has made the right recommendation to keep the Epsom Electorate boundaries the same. It is now important that the Commission retains its commitment to these boundaries", says Mr Seymour.
"The Epsom Electorate is a coherent community of interest. It is almost identical to the boundaries of its cherished state secondary schools, reflecting a highly educated and aspirational community. Dividing the electorate would be unjust for people excluded from this community.
"Epsom electors have demonstrated their political savvy by using their constituent vote strategically. They have done this more consistently than any other electorate. Again, dividing this community could have a critical impact on the proportionality of Parliament, and boundary changes should avoid creating political distortions wherever possible.
"The current electorate boundaries are also coherent with the area's geography. To the north, the electorate faces the Hobson Bay. To the east, it is bound by the Orakei Basin. To the south east, it is bound by the ridge that Remuera Road runs along before branching off along a major arterial route, Greenlane Road, and skirting around Cornwall Park. To the south west it reaches up to the ridge line along which runs Landscape Road, and the western boundaries are demarcated by a combination of the major arterial routes of Mt Eden and Dominion Roads, before joining another major park, the Auckland Domain.
"By keeping the boundaries as they are, the Commission is avoiding a needless administrative and communications task. No change means that electors will not need to be re-registered in a new electorate, and the Commission will not need to communicate that the boundaries have changed to each elector who would otherwise find themselves in a new electorate.
"The Representation Commission must resist any and all proposals to amend the currently proposed boundaries. There are no legitimate reasons for change to the Epsom Electorate boundaries so any advocates of change should be scrutinised for their motives."