The council's finance and corporate committee yesterday discussed whether or not to go ahead with a review of its representation or leave it until 2012, deciding in the end to recommend waiting.
It was required under the Local Government Act to do a review at least once every six years and it last undertook one in 2006, reducing its numbers by one, a report to the committee said.
Cr Deaker said there was a strong case to be made for another councillor to join Crs Duncan Butcher and Gerry Eckhoff in the Dunstan constituency, given the growth in the Queenstown-Lakes area and the amount of business the regional council did in that area.
"I do not know how our two constituent members cope. It's inevitable a third councillor [will be needed] for that area and I wonder if we [should] start to address that issue now."
Neither of the Dunstan councillors lived in the Queenstown-Lakes area, he said.
Cr Eckhoff came from Roxburgh and Cr Butcher from Cromwell.
Cr Bryan Scott said that might be so, but residents had the option to elect a councillor from the Queenstown-Lakes area at the last local body election and did not.
Cr Doug Brown said given the population change in that area there was a case for the increase, but to do so now would put representation over the required threshold.
"We're not quite there yet," he said.
Chairman Stephen Cairns said the council went through the process extensively three years ago.
He believed it should be left until 2012.
Chief executive Graeme Martin said while it was difficult to estimate the cost of a review, it would probably not be less than $30,000.
