The Electoral Commission on Thursday announced a proposal to shift the Waitaki electorate further north, putting towns such as Herbert, Moeraki, Hampden and Palmerston and surrounding rural areas into the Dunedin North electorate.
That is because the Waitaki electorate's growing population, particularly in Central Otago, has increased to almost 65,000 when it should be about 59,500, give or take 5%.
''In a way, I'm resigned to a change, now the population of the Waitaki electorate is well over what is acceptable. Somewhere, I'm going to lose population,'' Mrs Dean said yesterday.
She would not be drawn on where, if she had a choice, the cuts should be made, pointing out she would regret losing any area.
In her eight years as the MP for Otago and then Waitaki after electorate changes, she had got to know the area's people and communities ''pretty well''.
''I will miss them, no matter where it comes from.''
However, people in the area she would lose might feel differently, particularly those who might feel ''cut off from Oamaru''.
The ties of people in Moeraki, Hampden and Herbert, who would be in the redrawn Dunedin North electorate, were with Oamaru.
''They get used to being in a certain electorate, so get disgruntled when they are dropped.''
Mrs Dean would still have to travel regularly through those areas to visit the Central Otago sections of the electorate.
Asked if, as a former deputy mayor of Waitaki, she felt the Waitaki district was being split by the proposed change, Mrs Dean did not think so.
She pointed out other Waitaki electorate local authorities, such as Timaru and Queenstown Lakes, were in the same position and that had no effect.
She urged anyone not happy with the proposed change to appeal to the commission before the deadline of December 23.
