The 1989 New Zealand local government reform was the most significant reform of local government in New Zealand in over a century. Some 850 local bodies were amalgamated into 86 local authorities, made up of regional and territorial levels.
The last major local government reform was carried out through the abolition of provincial government. With effect of 1 January 1877, local government was vested in elected borough and county councils. The Counties Bill of 1876 created 63 counties out of the rural parts of the former provinces. [1] Over the years, many new bodies were set up. Some of these bodies were multi-purpose, whilst others (for example harbour boards) were single-purpose. [2] The Local Government Act 1974 consolidated the previous law relating to local government that applied to territorial local authorities, regional and district council bodies. It enabled the establishment of regional councils, but these were not established until the 1989 reform. [2]
The Labour Party had the reform of local government as one of its policies for the 1984 election but without much detail; the proposals were developed during the first term of the Fourth Labour Government following the party's win in 1984. Michael Bassett was Minister of Local Government and he appointed a Local Government Commission, [2] which was chaired by Brian Elwood from 1 April 1985 to 1 November 1992. [3] [4] The government had given the commission a guarantee that their findings would be regarded as binding. [4] The resulting local government reform was undertaken along the lines of neo-liberal economic theory, and was done in conjunction with the economic reform that have become known as Rogernomics. [2] Some 850 entities were amalgamated into 86 local authorities, made up of regional and territorial levels. [2] Of the 850 entities, 249 were municipalities; [5] the remainder were harbour boards, catchment boards, and drainage boards. Brian Rudman, a journalist and editorial writer for The New Zealand Herald , called the reforms "revolutionary". [4]
New Zealand was divided into 14 regions, of which 13 were regional authorities, and the remaining one, Gisborne, was a unitary authority. Unitary authorities in New Zealand are district (or city) authorities that also fulfil the function of a regional authority. [6]
Region | Regional council | Council seat | Island | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Unitary authorities | ||||
1 | Gisborne | Gisborne District Council | Gisborne | North |
Regional authorities | ||||
1 | Northland | Northland Regional Council | Whangarei | North |
2 | Auckland | Auckland Regional Council | Auckland | North |
3 | Waikato | Waikato Regional Council | Hamilton | North |
4 | Bay of Plenty | Bay of Plenty Regional Council | Whakatane | North |
5 | Hawke's Bay | Hawke's Bay Regional Council | Napier | North |
6 | Taranaki | Taranaki Regional Council | Stratford | North |
7 | Manawatū-Whanganui | Horizons Regional Council | Palmerston North | North |
8 | Wellington | Greater Wellington Regional Council | Wellington | North |
9 | Nelson-Marlborough | Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council | Blenheim | South |
10 | West Coast | West Coast Regional Council | Greymouth | South |
11 | Canterbury | Canterbury Regional Council | Christchurch | South |
12 | Otago | Otago Regional Council | Dunedin | South |
13 | Southland | Southland Regional Council | Invercargill | South |
At a territorial level, district and city authorities were created. The area of a district may belong to more than one regional authority.
Name | Seat | Region(s) | Island | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Far North District | Kaikohe | Northland | North |
2 | Whangarei District | Whangarei | Northland | North |
3 | Kaipara District | Dargaville | Northland | North |
4 | Rodney District | Orewa | Auckland | North |
5 | Auckland City | Auckland | Auckland | North |
6 | North Shore City | Takapuna | Auckland | North |
7 | Waitakere City | Henderson | Auckland | North |
8 | Manukau City | Manukau | Auckland | North |
9 | Papakura District | Papakura | Auckland | North |
10 | Franklin District | Pukekohe | Waikato (60.18%) Auckland (39.82%) | North |
11 | Thames-Coromandel District | Thames | Waikato | North |
12 | Hauraki District | Paeroa | Waikato | North |
13 | Waikato District | Ngāruawāhia | Waikato | North |
14 | Matamata-Piako District | Te Aroha | Waikato | North |
15 | Hamilton City | Hamilton | Waikato | North |
16 | Waipa District | Te Awamutu | Waikato | North |
17 | South Waikato District | Tokoroa | Waikato | North |
18 | Otorohanga District | Otorohanga | Waikato | North |
19 | Waitomo District | Te Kūiti | Waikato (94.87%) Manawatū-Whanganui (5.13%) | North |
20 | Taupō District | Taupō | Waikato (73.74%) Bay of Plenty (14.31%) Hawke's Bay (11.26%) Manawatū-Whanganui (0.69%) | North |
21 | Western Bay of Plenty District | Greerton, Tauranga City | Bay of Plenty | North |
22 | Tauranga District | Tauranga | Bay of Plenty | North |
23 | Opotiki District | Opotiki | Bay of Plenty | North |
24 | Whakatane District | Whakatane | Bay of Plenty | North |
25 | Rotorua District | Rotorua | Bay of Plenty (61.52%) Waikato (38.48%) | North |
26 | Kawerau District | Kawerau | Bay of Plenty | North |
27 | Gisborne District | Gisborne | Gisborne (unitary authority) | North |
28 | Wairoa District | Wairoa | Hawke's Bay | North |
29 | Hastings District | Hastings | Hawke's Bay | North |
30 | Napier City | Napier | Hawke's Bay | North |
31 | Central Hawke's Bay District | Waipawa | Hawke's Bay | North |
32 | New Plymouth District | New Plymouth | Taranaki | North |
33 | Stratford District | Stratford | Taranaki (68.13%) Manawatū-Whanganui (31.87%) | North |
34 | South Taranaki District | Hawera | Taranaki | North |
35 | Ruapehu District | Taumarunui | Manawatū-Whanganui | North |
36 | Rangitikei District | Marton | Manawatū-Whanganui (86.37%) Hawke's Bay (13.63%) | North |
37 | Wanganui District | Wanganui | Manawatū-Whanganui | North |
38 | Manawatū District | Feilding | Manawatū-Whanganui | North |
39 | Palmerston North City | Palmerston North | Manawatū-Whanganui | North |
40 | Tararua District | Dannevirke | Manawatū-Whanganui (98.42%) Wellington (1.58%) | North |
41 | Horowhenua District | Levin | Manawatū-Whanganui | North |
42 | Masterton District | Masterton | Wellington | North |
43 | Kāpiti Coast District | Paraparaumu | Wellington | North |
44 | Carterton District | Carterton | Wellington | North |
45 | South Wairarapa District | Martinborough | Wellington | North |
46 | Upper Hutt City | Upper Hutt | Wellington | North |
47 | Porirua City | Porirua | Wellington | North |
48 | Hutt City | Lower Hutt | Wellington | North |
49 | Wellington City | Wellington | Wellington | North |
50 | Tasman District | Richmond | Nelson-Marlborough | South |
51 | Nelson City | Nelson | Nelson-Marlborough | South |
52 | Marlborough District | Blenheim | Nelson-Marlborough | South |
53 | Kaikoura District | Kaikoura | Nelson-Marlborough | South |
54 | Buller District | Westport | West Coast | South |
55 | Grey District | Greymouth | West Coast | South |
56 | Westland District | Hokitika | West Coast | South |
57 | Hurunui District | Amberley | Canterbury | South |
58 | Selwyn District | Rolleston | Canterbury | South |
59 | Waimakariri District | Rangiora | Canterbury | South |
60 | Christchurch City | Christchurch | Canterbury | South |
61 | Banks Peninsula | Lyttelton | Canterbury | South |
62 | Ashburton District | Ashburton | Canterbury | South |
63 | Mackenzie District | Fairlie | Canterbury | South |
64 | Timaru District | Timaru | Canterbury | South |
65 | Waimate District | Waimate | Canterbury | South |
66 | Waitaki District | Oamaru | Canterbury (59.61%) Otago (40.39%) | South |
67 | Queenstown-Lakes District | Queenstown | Otago | South |
68 | Central Otago District | Alexandra | Otago | South |
69 | Dunedin City | Dunedin | Otago | South |
70 | Clutha District | Balclutha | Otago | South |
71 | Southland District | Invercargill | Southland | South |
72 | Gore District | Gore | Southland | South |
73 | Invercargill City | Invercargill | Southland | South |
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state.
New Zealand is divided into sixteen regions for local government purposes. Eleven are administered by regional councils, and five are administered by unitary authorities, which are territorial authorities that also perform the functions of regional councils. The Chatham Islands Council is not a region but is similar to a unitary authority, authorised under its own legislation.
Metropolitan counties are a subdivision of England which were originally used for local government. There are six metropolitan counties: Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, West Midlands and West Yorkshire.
Hawke's Bay is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural parts of the region are served by the towns of Waipukurau, Waipawa, and Wairoa.
The subdivisions of England constitute a hierarchy of administrative divisions and non-administrative ceremonial areas.
Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council. District councils serve a combination of rural and urban communities, while city councils administer the larger urban areas. Five territorial authorities also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are unitary authorities. The Chatham Islands Council is a sui generis territorial authority that is similar to a unitary authority.
A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regional government, or other local authority. The title of a councillor varies geographically, with a name generally being preceded by their title in formal or council-related situations in many places.
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural council, village council, or board of aldermen.
Tasman District Council is the unitary local authority for the Tasman District of New Zealand.
The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The ARC was subsumed into the Auckland Council on 1 November 2010.
Auckland Council is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to the Local Government Act 2009, which established the council. The governing body consists of a mayor and 20 councillors, elected from 13 wards. There are also 149 members of 21 local boards who make decisions on matters local to their communities. It is the largest council in Oceania, with a $3 billion annual budget, $29 billion of ratepayer equity, and 9,870 full-time staff as of 30 June 2016. The council began operating on 1 November 2010, combining the functions of the previous regional council and the region's seven city and district councils into one "super council" or "super city".
Gisborne District Council is the unitary authority for the Gisborne District of New Zealand. The council consists of a mayor and 13 ward councillors. The district consists of the city of Gisborne and a largely rural region on the east coast of the North Island.
Sir Brian George Conway Elwood is a former New Zealand lawyer, politician, and public servant. He served as mayor of Palmerston North from 1971 to 1985, and was the Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand from December 1994 to June 2003. In the latter role, he was responsible for investigating complaints against central and local government agencies, including Ministers of the Crown.
New Zealand has a unitary system of government in which the authority of the central government defines sub-national entities. Local government in New Zealand has only the powers conferred upon it by the New Zealand Parliament. Under the Local Government Act 2002, local authorities are responsible for enabling democratic local decision-making and promoting the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of their communities, as well as more specific functions for which they have delegated authority.
Hutt County was one of the former counties of New Zealand. It occupied the south-western corner of the North Island, extending south from the Waikanae River and lying to the west of the summits of the Rimutaka Ranges. The county's name arose from the fact that a large amount of its land area lay in the Hutt River catchment.
North Shore City was a territorial authority unit in the Auckland Region of New Zealand that was governed by the North Shore City Council. It existed from 1989 until November 2010, when the council was incorporated into Auckland Council. It had an estimated population of 229,000 at 30 June 2010, making it the fourth most populous city in New Zealand prior to the 2010 reorganisation. It was the country's fourth largest city in land, with an area of 129.81 square kilometres (50.12 sq mi) and a coastline of 141 kilometres (88 mi). It was the most densely populated city in the country, because most of its area was urban or suburban in nature, unlike other New Zealand cities.
The Otago District Health Board was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to an area covering most of Otago and Waitaki District in New Zealand.
The Southland District Health Board was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to an area covering most of Southland and parts of Otago in New Zealand.
The Waitemata County was one of the counties of New Zealand in the North Island. Established in 1876, the county covered West Auckland, Rodney and the North Shore. The county shrunk in size between 1886 and 1954 when various urban areas on the North Shore and in West Auckland became boroughs and established their own local councils. The Waitemata County was dissolved in 1974, with the county council area being taken over by the newly established Waitemata City in the west, and by Takapuna City and Rodney Council in the north.