Mayor's column – Region of many firsts

Published on 10 August 2026

A fortnightly column by Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper. 

Last week, the Head Start Proposal for local government reform in Northland was submitted. We are following a pathway prescribed by Central Government. There are clear criteria as to the objectives that Central Government wishes to achieve and there is an option within that pathway for Northland to have its say. 

We are a region of many firsts. Where two peoples first met, where the treaty was signed, and where much of the groundwork for modern New Zealand was laid. Our first parliament sat here in the north, long before Wellington.

That belief was tested in the hardest of times. When the country went to war, Northlanders answered, Māori and Pākehā alike. From towns and settlements across the north, our people enlisted in their thousands and sailed to the other side of the world. They went to protect a way of life, a standard of living, and the freedoms and values they believed were worth defending.

That is the Northland our forebears built and were prepared to fight for. A region of many firsts, carried forward by the belief that this place, and its people, were worth something.

Which is why it should sit uncomfortably with all of us that today that Northland finds itself near the bottom of too many tables. Things like health, education, incomes and jobs. On a lot of the measures, we are behind where we should be. 

We are a region full of good people, we work hard and we care about where we live. There is a lot going well and a lot to be optimistic about. But we do ourselves no favours by pretending all is well when we know that our current structure is not delivering our region’s potential. 

That is what makes this next step matter. Reform is no longer a maybe. The Government has set a clear direction, and Northland now has a decision to make. We can all help design what comes next, or we can wait and take whatever we are handed. One of those is the Northland way, the other is not.

Reform is about efficiencies, regional strategic alignment and making sure we get our share from Wellington. Equally so, your voice and representation are fundamental. As we go through the reforms, it is possible to do both. 

Northland is doing what Northland has always done. While much of the country waits to see what reform will mean, our region has stepped up first, entering the Head Start process and putting a proposal forward ourselves, in the belief that here is our chance to have a say and to do better. It is an outline proposal. If it is accepted, we will move into a detailed design phase and full public consultation, with genuine opportunity for our communities to help shape what it looks like.

Councils are here to represent their communities, and the success of these reforms will come from the people. The change that lasts is the change a community decides it wants for itself.

A region that has been first in so much should not settle for being last. The chance to shape our own future is in front of us. It is time that our voices are heard.