Northlanders have their say on the future of local government

Published on 03 July 2026

This is a joint media release from Whangarei District Council, Kaipara District Council, Far North District Council and Northland Regional Council.

More than 2,300 survey responses were received from residents, organisations, and iwi and hapū across all four Northland councils in May and June 2026, reflecting the strong interest Northland communities have in the future of local government in our region.

Northland's councils are taking a 'by Northland, for Northland' approach to this work, exploring options together under the Government's Head Start pathway – a voluntary opportunity for councils to develop their own locally led proposal for the future shape of local government in Northland.

Any new structure being considered would involve creating one or two unitary authorities that would take on the responsibilities of both the current district councils and Northland Regional Council, replacing the existing four-council system.

All of the community feedback has been presented to the Local Government Reform Elected Member Steering Group – made up of the mayors of the three district councils, the chair of Northland Regional Council, two elected members from each council, and a representative from the Department of Internal Affairs.

The feedback covers which future council structure communities would prefer, the benefits and concerns they see in any change, and what any new structure would need to get right.

A full report of the survey findings will be made publicly available next week.

What happens next

The Elected Member Steering Group meets on Monday 6 July 2026 to explore whether to recommend an option for what Northland's new local government structure should be.

If they agree on an option, councils will vote during the week starting 13 July 2026 on whether to support submitting the proposal to the Government by 9 August 2026.

If the Government agrees to Northland's Head Start proposal, there will be a full region-wide round of public consultation later this year and in early 2027 before any final decisions are made.

Find out more:

Simplifying Local Government