5 May 2026

New Zealand’s Regional Government Partnership, Te Uru Kahika, acknowledges the Government’s new Head Start pathway as a pragmatic step. Head Start is the Government’s streamlined pathway for territorial and unitary authorities that want to move early to create new unitary authorities and requires councils to outline their proposals by August 9, 2026.

Te Uru Kahika invites central government to now work more closely with regional government to ensure reform goes beyond fewer councils to also deliver improved real-world outcomes for people, the economy and environment.

Chair of Canterbury Regional Council and spokesperson for the Regional Government Partnership Deon Swiggs said the Government had landed in a more practical place than its original proposal and showed the value of councils speaking up.

“The Head Start pathway provides a fast amalgamation process for areas where this makes sense and councils are ready to go. We’re pleased the Government has progressed this to allow those councils to move forward, though we await the compulsory backstop reform process detail.

“Local Government reform will only be a success if it improves real-world outcomes.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform local government and it must be built around the work New Zealand needs to thrive, not just fewer councils,” said Chair Swiggs.

Te Uru Kahika said the Government’s decision to retain regional councillors until 2028 and delay compulsory reform for councils outside of the Head Start pathway helps with continuity in essential public services while major system change is considered.

Those services include flood protection, freshwater and catchment management, environmental monitoring and compliance, public transport, pest and disease control, and emergency management. These are functions delivered by regional and unitary councils that communities and businesses rely on every day and that remain central to the success of wider reforms, including resource management reform.

"While regional council elections will not proceed in 2028, the decision to honour the current electoral term provides important continuity through a period of significant change. This is the right thing to do because it gives councillors, staff, and communities some certainty and allows for the benefit of their expertise and experience while the wider reform picture is worked through.

“We need reform that sets our country up for success as we build flood resilience, look after freshwater, deliver even more effective biosecurity that protects primary production and our environment, meet our public transport ambitions, and help communities prepare for and respond to emergencies.

“Regional and unitary councils bring practical experience in delivery, reform implementation, and shared service efficiencies. We want to work with Government to co-design the future system,” said Chair Swiggs.

Regional Chief Executive Officer’s Group Convenor and Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chief Executive Fiona McTavish said today’s announcement follows a number of recent weather events and successful land management programmes where regional council staff have demonstrated their professionalism and expertise.

“I’m pleased to see Government providing some short-term certainty for regional council governance today because the work we do is frontline. In partnership with our communities, we support environments, regional economies, and the safety of people, property, and infrastructure, said Ms McTavish.

“Strong regional delivery will be critical if the Government wants to improve resilience to hazards and biosecurity threats and realise its RMA reform ambitions to unlock growth.

“The next phase of local government reform must focus on defining the problems clearly and bringing practical solutions to the big challenges that New Zealand faces.

“We are keen to work constructively with the new Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT) on designing strong future delivery models for our work,” said Ms McTavish.

All regional and unitary councils have valuable operational knowledge to contribute to the local government and resource management reforms.

Te Uru Kahika advocates that the coming months should be used to progress a future local government system that is both simpler and more effective in delivering for New Zealand’s communities, economy, and environments.

About Te Uru Kahika

Te Uru Kahika is the partnership of New Zealand’s 16 regional and unitary councils. It works to support strong regional government delivery for the benefit of communities, the economy, and the environment across Aotearoa New Zealand.

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