Replacement CCTV could be back on the cards for a small Southland town after the local board controversially rejected the idea earlier this year.

In June, the Oreti Community Board voted against replacing four ageing cameras and adding two new ones in the small town of Winton, half an hour north of Invercargill.

The decision was made despite a large community push for the upgrades, which included support from police.

Community board member Colin Smith was tight-lipped about why the project was back on the cards but said progress was being made.

“The community want their cameras replaced and . . . we're working towards that,” he said.

A report prepared for a community board meeting this week showed a Winton CCTV working group had been created on the back of an August meeting, and would include representatives from community boards, council, staff and police.

It recommended three members be appointed from the Oreti Community Board — former-chair Colin Smith, Dave Diack and councillor Christine Menzies.

Diack was contacted for comment but could not be reached while Menzies deferred to others on the board.

The report said the community board would consider the project again once council staff had provided necessary information.

That included identifying how the cameras would help address problems, approximate cost, and privacy concerns identified by Diack in June.

Further information was required on how a memorandum of understanding would work between the council and police, along with assurance the cameras would not be used to restrict the movement of people or vehicles.

Assurance was also needed that facial and number plate recognition technology was only used to identify offenders, and recorded data was not stored overseas.

The feed from the existing cameras is sent to the Winton police station.

When the council originally looked into the CCTV upgrades, it received two estimates ranging from $16,000 to $44,000 plus GST.

The original vote to complete the job was stymied five votes to three.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air