Simplifying local government

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.

This is a once-in-a-generation change to local government that will shape how Northland communities are served, represented and heard for decades to come.

Our current regional council governance arrangements will remain in place until October 2028. 

Future changes will not include regional councillors and may result in new local government structures such as unitary authorities. 

The Head Start pathway is a voluntary option provided by the Government that gives councils the opportunity to develop locally led proposals for local government reorganisation.

Read more about the Head Start pathway (dia.govt.nz)

The Government announced the Head Start pathway in May 2026 and set a three-month window for councils to submit proposals.

Participating in the Head Start pathway would give Northland the opportunity to shape our own future, rather than waiting for a centrally led Back Stop process after the 2028 local elections, where change would be directed by the Government rather than led locally.

Both. The Government announced the Head Start pathway and set the timeframe and criteria, but participating in it is voluntary.

All four Northland councils have formally confirmed their participation in the Head Start pathway.

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 them into a single organisation, responsible for both local and regional functions.

No. Under the Head Start pathway, two or more of Northland's district councils can submit a proposal together, provided they represent a majority of the population across the affected area.

Regional councils cannot submit proposals under the Head Start pathway.

The Elected Member Steering Group, made up of elected members from all four Northland councils, identified a preferred option which now goes to each council to vote on during the week beginning 13 July. An outline proposal will now be developed for the preferred option. Councils will then make a final decision on whether to submit it in early August, ahead of the 9 August Government deadline.

Four options were assessed: a single Northland-wide unitary authority, a single unitary authority with community councils, two unitary authorities, and a staged transition model beginning with two unitary authorities and moving to a single unitary authority over time. The Elected Member Steering Group has identified the staged transition as its preferred option, with each council now considering whether to support it.

The Elected Member Steering Group has identified a preferred option – a staged transition beginning with two unitary authorities, with the goal of moving to a single Northland-wide unitary authority over time. This is not a final decision. Each of the four councils will now consider and vote on whether to support this option during the week beginning 13 July.

Treaty settlement arrangements will continue to be upheld. Our proposal must demonstrate 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. 

More than 2,300 Northland residents responded to surveys run by the four councils in May and June – Whangarei District Council received 673 responses, Far North District Council received 1,083 across two surveys, Kaipara District Council received 263, and Northland Regional Council received 286. This was one of the strongest community response rates seen in the region for a local government engagement exercise of this kind. 

Across the three district councils that asked about structural preferences, more people supported some form of two-council arrangement than a single council covering all of Northland, though respondents did not agree on which two councils should pair up. 

The clearest finding was not about which structure communities preferred, but about the conditions any new model must meet. Communities want to see costs kept affordable, local voice genuinely protected – particularly for smaller, rural, and remote communities – environmental stewardship maintained, and the transition carefully managed. Relationships with hapū and iwi will also require careful consideration.