Regions of New Zealand
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The regions of New Zealand are the administrative jurisdictions of the country's regional councils and unitary authorities; the country is divided into sixteen such areas. The councils derive their powers from the central government, as New Zealand is a unitary state rather than a federation.
Eleven are currently administered by regional councils, whilst the other five are administered by unitary authorities.Template:Efn Most of New Zealand's outlying Islands are not included within its regions, with the Solander Islands being the exception as they are within the Southland Region. The Chatham Islands are not within any region, having their own specially legislated territorial authority.
Current regions
History and statutory basis
The regional councils are listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 2002,[1] along with reference to the Gazette notices that established them in 1989.[2] The act requires regional councils to promote sustainable developmentTemplate:Spaced ndashthe social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of their communities.[3]
The current regions and most of their councils came into being through a local government reform in 1989 that took place under the Local Government Act 1974. The regional councils replaced the more than 700 ad hoc bodies that had been formed in the preceding century – roads boards, catchment boards, drainage boards, pest control boards, harbour boards, domain and reserve boards.[4] In addition they took over some roles that had previously been performed by county councils.
The boundaries of the regions are based largely on drainage basins.[5] This anticipated the responsibilities of the Resource Management Act 1991.[6] Most regional boundaries conform with territorial authority boundaries but there are a number of exceptions. An example is Taupō District, split between four regions, although most of its area is in the Waikato region.[7] There is often a high degree of co-operation between regional and territorial councils as they have complementary roles.
Resource management functions
Regional councils have these specific functions under the Resource Management Act 1991:
- Planning for the integrated management of natural and physical resources[8]
- Planning for regionally significant land uses[9]
- Soil conservation, water quality and quantity, water ecosystems, natural hazards, hazardous substances [10]
- Controlling the coastal marine area[11]
- Controlling via resource consents the taking, use, damming or diverting of water [12]
- Controlling via resource consents the discharge of contaminants[13]
- Establishing of rules in a regional plan to allocate water[14]
- Controlling via resource consents the beds of waterbodies[15]
Other functions
Regional councils have responsibility for functions under other statutes;[16]
- flood and river control under the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941,
- reserves vested in regional councils under the Reserves Act 1977,
- civil defence under the Civil Defence Act 1990,
- regional pest management under the Biosecurity Act 1993,
- harbour and water navigation under the Maritime Transport Act 1994,
- hazardous waste under the HSNO Act 1996,
- public transport planning under the Land Transport Act 1998, and
- supervision of the safety of dams under the Building Act 2004.[17]
Proposed abolition
In mid 2025, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones proposed scrapping the 11 regional councils as part of the Sixth National Government's proposed overhaul of the Resource Management Act 1991.[18] In late November 2025, Local Government Minister Simon Watts and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop confirmed the Government would seek to abolish regional councils and transfer their responsibilities to the 67 local district and city councils.[19][20]
The Government has released two replacement proposals. First, abolishing elected regional councillors and replacing them with Combined Territories Boards (CTBs). These CTBs would consist of the mayors of the district councils within the former regions. While the regional councils as organisations would remain, they would be run by the mayors of the constituent regions. The Government's second proposal would be to get the Combined Territories Boards to prepare a regional reorganisation plan within two years of their establishment, subject to approval by the Local Government Minister. These plans would focus on the delivery of infrastructure, public services and regulatory functions, and would be tested against criteria based on housing, infrastructure, and manageable rates services.[20] Public consultation on the proposed legislative changes is open until 20 February 2026. The legislation is expected to be introduced in mid-2026 with the goal of passing it into law by 2027.[19]
The Government's proposal to abolish the regional councils attracted a mixture of reactions. The proposal was supported by Otago Regional councillor Michael Laws and Dunedin City councillor Lee Vandervis, who described the regional councils as an "excessive level" of bureaucracy and argued that their dissolution would lower rates and red tape.[21] By contrast, the proposal was opposed by Mayor of Wellington Andrew Little, Otago Regional councillor Alan Somerville, Te Wānanga o Raukawa environmental planning lecturer Dr Mahina-a-rangi Baker, Te Rununga O Makaawhio chair Paul Madgwick and Mayor of Dunedin Sophie Barker on the grounds that abolishing the regional councils would erode environmental protections, reduce Māori input in regional-level decision-making, infringe on Treaty of Waitangi obligations and add further to mayors and territorial authorities' workloads.[21][22][23][24][25] Meanwhile, Mayor of Central Otago Tamah Alley, Mayor of Gisborne Rehette Stoltz and Labour leader Chris Hipkins expressed concerns about accountability, the loss of technical expertise, and the nature of the proposed reforms.[21][23][26]
List of regions
| Name (name in Māori if different) |
Regional council | Seats | Council seat | Land area[27] | PopulationTemplate:NZ population data 2018 | Density | ISO 3166-2 Code | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | per km2 | per sq mi | |||||||
| 1 | Northland Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Northland Regional Council | 9 | Whangārei | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-NTL
| ||
| 2 | AucklandTemplate:Efn Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Auckland Council | 21 | Auckland | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-AUK
| ||
| 3 | Waikato | Waikato Regional Council | 14 | Hamilton | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-WKO
| ||
| 4 | Bay of Plenty Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Bay of Plenty Regional Council | 14 | Whakatāne | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-BOP
| ||
| 5 | GisborneTemplate:EfnTemplate:Efn Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Gisborne District Council | 14 | Gisborne | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-GIS
| ||
| 6 | Hawke's Bay Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Hawke's Bay Regional Council | 11 | Napier | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-HKB
| ||
| 7 | Taranaki | Taranaki Regional Council | 11 | Stratford | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-TKI
| ||
| 8 | Manawatū-Whanganui | Horizons Regional Council | 12 | Palmerston North | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-MWT
| ||
| 9 | Wellington Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Greater Wellington Regional Council | 13 | Wellington | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-WGN
| ||
| 10 | TasmanTemplate:Efn Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Tasman District Council | 13 | Richmond | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-TAS
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| 11 | NelsonTemplate:Efn Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Nelson City Council | 13 | Nelson | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-NSN
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| 12 | MarlboroughTemplate:Efn Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Marlborough District Council | 14 | Blenheim | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-MBH
| ||
| 13 | West Coast Script error: No such module "Lang". |
West Coast Regional Council | 7 | Greymouth | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-WTC
| ||
| 14 | Canterbury Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Environment Canterbury | 14 | Christchurch | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-CAN
| ||
| 15 | Otago Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Otago Regional Council | 12 | Dunedin | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-OTA
| ||
| 16 | Southland Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Southland Regional Council | 12 | Invercargill | Script error: No such module "convert". | Template:NZ population data 2018 | Script error: No such module "convert". | NZ-STL
| ||
Notes Template:Notelist
Areas outside regional boundaries
Some outlying islands are not included within regional boundaries. The Chatham Islands is not in a region, although its council has some of the powers of a regional council under the Resource Management Act 1991. The Kermadecs and the subantarctic islands are inhabited only by a small number of Department of Conservation staff and there is no regional council for these islands.[28]
Governance
Regional councils are popularly elected every three years in accordance with the Local Electoral Act 2001.[29] Councils may use a first-past-the-post or single transferable vote system. The chairperson is selected by the elected council members.[30]
Finances
Regional councils are funded through property rates, subsidies from central government, income from trading, and user charges for certain public services. Councils set their own levels of rates,[31] though the mechanism for collecting it usually involves channelling through the territorial authority collection system.
Regional chairs
| Region | Chair | Affiliation | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northland | File:Pita Tipene KSO (cropped).jpg | Pita Tipene | Independent | 5 November 2025[32] |
| Waikato | Warren Maher | Rates Control Team | 29 October 2025[33] | |
| Bay of Plenty | Matemoana McDonald | Independent | October 2025[34] | |
| Hawke's Bay | Sophie Siers | Independent | 29 October 2025[35] | |
| Taranaki | Craig Williamson | Independent | 18 February 2025[36] | |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | Nikki Riley | Independent | 29 October 2025[37] | |
| Greater Wellington | File:Daran Ponter 2022 (cropped).jpg | Daran Ponter | Labour | October 2019[38][39] |
| West Coast | Colin Smith | Independent | 29 October 2025[40] | |
| Canterbury | File:Deon Swiggs in Council Chamber (cropped).jpg | Deon Swiggs | Independent | 29 October 2025[41] |
| Otago | File:Hilary Calvert.jpg | Hilary Calvert | Vision Otago | 29 October 2025[42] |
| Southland | Jeremy McPhail | Independent | October 2025[43] | |
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Predecessors of current structure
Auckland
The Auckland Regional Council (now the Auckland Council) was preceded by the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA), which existed from 1963 to 1989.[44]
Wellington
The Wellington Regional Council was first formed in 1980 from a merger of the Wellington Regional Planning Authority and the Wellington Regional Water Board.[45]
United councils
In 1978, legislation was passed enabling the formation of regions that had united councils. Twenty regions were designated, excluding the Auckland and Wellington areas. For most of the country this was the first time there had been a regional level of government since the abolition of provinces in 1876. Councillors were not elected directly – they were appointed from the various territorial local authorities (TLAs) within the region.
The only responsibilities mandated by the legislation were coordination of civil defence and development of a regional plan, although the constituent TLAs could agree on additional responsibilities at the point of formation of each united council. For example, in a number of cases the united council took responsibility for the allocation of revenue from regional petrol taxes.
The united councils were based in the facilities of the largest TLA in the region and largely dependent on the TLAs for resources. They were allowed to levy rates but in most cases had minimal operating budgets (below $100,000 per annum). The notable exception was Canterbury, where the united council had a number of responsibilities. Only one united council undertook any direct operational activity – a forestry project in Wanganui.[4]
| Region | When formed | Levy rates (1982/83) |
|---|---|---|
| Northland | January 1980 | $118,000 |
| Thames Valley | July 1980 | $46,000 |
| Waikato | October 1980 | $36,000 |
| Bay of Plenty | August 1979 | $17,000 |
| Tongariro | November 1979 | $50,000 |
| East Cape | August 1979 | $16,000 |
| Hawke's Bay | December 1983 | – |
| Taranaki | February 1979 | $60,000 |
| Wanganui | May 1979 | $81,000 |
| Wairarapa | November 1978 | $33,000 |
| Manawatu | May 1981 | 0 |
| Horowhenua | June 1980 | $47,000 |
| Nelson Bays | November 1978 | $84,000 |
| Marlborough | December 1978 | $30,000 |
| Canterbury | May 1979 | $605,000 |
| West Coast | November 1978 | $32,000 |
| Aorangi | 1983 | – |
| Coastal / North Otago | April 1983 | – |
| Clutha / Central Otago | November 1980 | $33,000 |
| Southland | May 1979 | $88,000 |
Source: Summary of the Functions and Activities of United Councils. Dept of Internal Affairs, 1984.
See also
- List of regions of New Zealand by Human Development Index
- Local Government New Zealand
- Provinces of New Zealand
References
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- ↑ Relationship between the Local Government Act and the RMA Template:Webarchive Quality Planning The RMA Resource, retrieved 11 October 2007.
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ New Zealand Historical AtlasTemplate:Spaced ndashMcKinnon, Malcolm (Editor); David Bateman, 1997, Plate 98
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(a)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
- ↑ Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(b)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
- ↑ Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(c)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
- ↑ Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(d)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
- ↑ Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(e)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
- ↑ Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(f)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
- ↑ Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(fa)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991. NB this is a new paragraph added in 2005.
- ↑ Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(g)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
- ↑ Harris, R. (2004). "Local government and development legislation", Chapter 3G, Handbook of Environmental Law, Harris, R. (ed.), Template:ISBN, Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, Wellington, p. 130.
- ↑ Sections 135, 142, 150, and 154 Building Act 2004, Parliament of New Zealand.
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- ↑ Local Government Act 2002, s41(1)(a), Parliament of New Zealand
- ↑ Local Government Act 2002, s41(1)(b), Parliament of New Zealand.
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| Countries | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand | File:Flag of the Cook Islands.svg Cook Islands | File:Flag of Niue.svg Niue | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regions | 11 non-unitary regions | 5 unitary regions | Chatham Islands | Kermadec Islands NZ Subantarctic Islands Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands |
File:Flag of Tokelau.svg Tokelau | Ross Dependency | 15 islands | 14 villages | |||
| Territorial authorities | 11 cities and 50 districts | 1 metropolitan area, 1 city, and 3 districts | |||||||||
| Notes | Seven districts lie in more than one region | These combine the regional and the territorial authority levels in one | Special territorial authority | New Zealand outlying islands outside any regional authority (the outlying Solander Islands form a part of the Southland Region) | Non-self-governing territory of New Zealand | New Zealand's Antarctic dependency | States in free association with New Zealand | ||||
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