Head Start local government reform

The Government has signalled that New Zealand's current system of regional and district councils creates duplication and inefficiency and needs to change. It has invited councils to develop their own proposals for reorganisation into simpler, more effective local government structures.

The Northland Elected Member Steering Group has supported an outline proposal that includes a staged transition to a single Northland-wide unitary authority. From the 2028 local elections there would be two unitary authorities – Whangarei and Kaipara district councils combining as one, and Far North District Council on its own.

Some regional functions requiring a Northland-wide approach – such as civil defence, catchment management, and regional planning – would be delivered through a shared regional entity jointly governed by both unitary authorities. Northland would then move to a single unitary authority within one to three electoral cycles, based on agreed milestones.

• A staged transition to a single Northland unitary authority as the region's long-term governance model.
• Two unitary authorities and a shared regional entity from the 2028 local elections – Whangarei and Kaipara district councils combining as one, Far North District Council on its own as the other.
• A move to a single Northland unitary authority within one to three electoral cycles after 2028, based on the achievement of agreed milestones.
• Far North District Council's existing community boards continuing under the Far North unitary authority.
• Each council able to honour the outcome of its own 2025 Māori ward referendum through the transition period.
• A reduction in duplication across the region, including 125 council policies reducing to between 35 and 45, 41 bylaws reducing to between 18 and 20, and four sets of long term plans and annual reports becoming one.
• Initial benchmarking suggesting a single Northland unitary authority could operate at between 8 and 22 per cent below the current combined cost of the four councils, most likely at the lower end of that range.

Currently, Northland has four separate councils – three district councils responsible for local services and planning, and one regional council responsible for environmental management, regional transport, and civil defence. A unitary authority combines both into a single organisation, responsible for both local and regional functions.

Northland Regional Council's statutory functions would continue to be delivered at the regional level during the transition period through a shared regional entity governed by the two proposed unitary authorities. The proposal's long-term goal is a single Northland-wide unitary authority that combines regional and district council functions.

Under the outline proposal, Far North District Council's existing community boards would continue under the Far North unitary authority, with local arrangements reviewed and developed further during the detailed design phase.

Under the outline proposal, each council would honour the outcome of its own 2025 Māori ward referendum through the transition period. Far North District Council voted to keep its Māori ward, Whangarei District Council voted not to retain its Māori ward and Northland Regional Council voted not to retain its Māori constituency. Longer-term representation arrangements would be worked through during the detailed design phase.

Treaty settlement arrangements would continue to be upheld. The outline proposal demonstrates how existing settlement arrangements would be transferred to a new unitary authority with the same effect. The Government has also committed to working directly with post-settlement governance entities on any proposed arrangements.

No. Kaipara District Council did not support it. Under the Head Start pathway, an outline proposal can proceed when two or more of Northland's district councils support it, provided they represent a majority of the population across the affected area. The proposal meets those thresholds.

Northland local government - a staged path to reform