The Waitaki District Council's longest-serving councillor, Struan Munro, will face a challenge in October's local body elections in the Ahuriri ward from Ahuriri Community Board chairman Craig Dawson.
Cr Munro, who was a Waitaki county councillor and chairman before local body reorganisation in 1989, has served on the district council for 18 years after being elected in 1992.
Last election, he was re-elected unopposed for the Ahuriri ward, after being one of three councillors for the combined Corriedale-Ahuriri ward.
Mr Dawson has served four years on the Ahuriri Community Board and said community boards should play a greater role in the operation of council and would push for this to happen as a councillor.
"Water is another huge issue facing the ward and will be a very challenging issue to deal with in the coming years," he said.
Cr Munro had decided to seek re-election because some of his concerns which he was involved in he would like to see completed.
These included the district plan becoming fully operative, changes to the long-term council community plan to redress the imbalance in the rating system penalising the farming community and his involvement with the Canterbury water management strategy.
