Part 2Structural arrangements for providing water services
Water organisations: Governance of water organisations: consumer trusts
57Trustee elections: principles
Elections of trustees must be conducted in accordance with the following principles:
- trustees are elected by consumers who hold an account for the provision of water services with the water organisation that the trustees own or co-own:
- each consumer who is the named account holder may cast 1 vote:
- elections must be conducted by an electoral officer appointed by the trust:
- elections must be—
- conducted in accordance with the process set out in the trust deed; and
- conducted by the electoral officer in a manner that is readily understood by electors and that gives them confidence in the fairness of the election process.
- conducted in accordance with the process set out in the trust deed; and
Despite subsection (1), when a consumer trust is first established, the territorial authority that establishes the trust must appoint persons whom the authority considers appropriate to be the initial trustees of the trust.
The functions of initial trustees are limited to—
- conducting the first election of trustees as soon as practicable and performing related tasks, such as obtaining from the water organisation consumer information needed for conducting the election; and
- performing other tasks that are necessary to establish the trust.
For the purposes of future elections, all trustees may obtain relevant consumer information from the water organisation.