FAQs

Simplifying Local Government is a Government proposal to change how councils are organised in New Zealand, with the aim of making the system simpler, more efficient and easier for communities to understand.

You can read the Government’s official information on the Department of Internal Affairs website here.  

Five criteria will be used to assess the proposals:

• Deliverability: Proposals are realistic and demonstrate how new arrangements can be implemented in a timely manner.
• Supports the new planning system: Shows clear support for implementing the new planning system – including progress on spatial and natural environment plan development – and avoids or minimises disruption to that work.
• Simplifies local governance: Proposes more efficient regional governance arrangements, consolidating decision-making and improving alignment between a region’s councils.
• Economies of scale: Supports regional strategic planning and effective delivery of key regional functions (such as transport and catchment management), and demonstrates responsible and affordable asset management, infrastructure investment, and service delivery.
• Maintains local voice: Demonstrates fair and effective representation for communities of interest and how decisions will be made at the local level, balancing urban and rural interests.

Any two or more territorial and/or unitary authorities including cross-boundary groupings, may submit if they represent a majority of either the:

• directly affected territorial authorities, or
• population across directly affected areas.

Proposals cannot be submitted by minority groupings, individual territorial authorities or unitary authorities, regional councils, individuals or other organisations.

The Head Start pathway is a voluntary process announced by the Government on 5 May 2026. It allows councils that are ready to move early to work together on outline proposals for future local government arrangements, rather than waiting for wider reform after the 2028 local elections.

• DIA's official overview of Simplifying Local Government(External link)
• Head Start pathway: Simplifying Local Government