Mō te whakahoutanga o te kāwanatanga ā-rohe About local government reorganisation

What is local government reorganisation and how does it happen?

The purpose of local government reorganisation is to promote good local government by enabling and facilitating changes and improvements to local governance.  This purpose is set out in the Local Government Act 2002 (NZ Legislation website) (the LGA).

Local government reorganisation means changes to the structure or the responsibilities of local authorities and local boards. It could involve one or more of the following: 

  • the alteration to boundaries of districts or regions 

  • the union of districts or regions 

  • the constitution of a new district or region and a council(s) for that area 

  • the abolition of a district or region and the council(s) for that area 

  • the transfer of responsibilities between councils 

  • the establishment of joint committees 

  • the establishment, alteration of boundaries, or abolition of local boards. 

  • changes either to the Auckland local boards or the establishment of local boards in other areas covered by unitary authorities. 

For guidance on reorganisations, please see the Commission’s Guidelines for reorganisation processes. These should be read in conjunction with Schedule 3 of the LGA, which sets out the legislative requirements for reorganisation.  

 

Pathways for reorganisation  

There are two approaches to reorganisation, one led by councils, and one led by the Commission.  

  • A council-led process involves local authorities developing and adopting a reorganisation plan, which they then submit to the Commission for approval 

  • A Commission-led process can involve either a request from councils or electors for the Commission to:  

  • consider a proposed local government reorganisation (a reorganisation initiative); or 

  • conduct an investigation into an issue with current local government arrangements but without proposing a particular reorganisation (a reorganisation investigation). 

 

Who can initiate a reorganisation?  

Reorganisation initiatives can be proposed and investigations requested by: 

  • one or more affected local authorities 

  • a group of at least 10% of electors of an area 

  • the Minister of Local Government. 

 

Local authority structure 

A two-tier local authority structure, comprising a regional council and a district/city council for an area, covers most of New Zealand. However, some areas have unitary authorities which are responsible for both regional council and district/city council functions. Unitary authorities are in place for Auckland, Gisborne, Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman. In addition, the Chatham Islands Council is also effectively a unitary authority. 

Currently there are 11 regional councils and 67 district/city councils including unitary authorities. 

Many district/city councils have community boards to represent particular local communities within their area. Auckland has a different structure of local boards which formally share some decision-making with the governing body (mayor and councillors) of Auckland Council. 

 

Simplifying Local Government 

On 25 November 2025, the Government announced its proposal to simplify local government.  The Government’s consultation on the proposal is open until 20 February.  For more information about the Simplifying Local Government proposal please see the DIA website. 

While the Commission is not leading this work, we recognise that the Government’s proposals may influence the future shape of local government. The Commission is required to meet its statutory responsibilities under existing legislation and will continue to do so, while monitoring developments to understand any future requirements. 

For any questions regarding reorganisations under the current legislation, please refer to our guidelines or contact lgc@lgc.govt.nz