Regions of New Zealand

Current regions

History and statutory basis

The regional councils are listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 2002, along with reference to the Gazette notices that established them in 1989. The act requires regional councils to promote sustainable developmentthe social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of their communities.

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. 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. This anticipated the responsibilities of the Resource Management Act 1991. 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. 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
• Planning for regionally significant land uses
• Soil conservation, water quality and quantity, water ecosystems, natural hazards, hazardous substances
• Controlling the coastal marine area
• Controlling via resource consents the taking, use, damming or diverting of water
• Controlling via resource consents the discharge of contaminants
• Establishing of rules in a regional plan to allocate water
• Controlling via resource consents the beds of waterbodies

Other functions

Regional councils have responsibility for functions under other statutes;

• 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

List of regions

Notes

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.

Governance

Regional councils are popularly elected every three years in accordance with the Local Electoral Act 2001. Councils may use a first-past-the-post or single transferable vote system. The chairperson is selected by the elected council members.

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, though the mechanism for collecting it usually involves channelling through the territorial authority collection system.

Regional chairs

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.

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.

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.

Source: Summary of the Functions and Activities of United Councils. Dept of Internal Affairs, 1984.

References

References

1. "Local Government Act 2002 No 84 - Interpretation".
2. "Local Government Act 2002 No 84 - Part 1, Schedule 2".
3. [http://www.qp.org.nz/related-laws/faq-rma-lga.php Relationship between the Local Government Act and the RMA] {{webarchive. link. (25 March 2006 Quality Planning The RMA Resource, retrieved 11 October 2007.)
4. Bush, Graham. (1995). "Local Government & Politics in New Zealand". Auckland University Press.
5. (2016). "OECD Territorial Reviews OECD Territorial Reviews: The Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam-The Hague, Netherlands". OECD Publishing.
6. ''New Zealand Historical Atlas''{{spaced ndashMcKinnon, Malcolm (Editor); David Bateman, 1997, Plate 98
7. (November 2017). "Property Asset Management Plan 2015-2025". [[Taupo District Council]].
8. Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(a)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
9. Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(b)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
10. Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(c)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
11. Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(d)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
12. Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(e)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
13. Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(f)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
14. Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(fa)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991. NB this is a new paragraph added in 2005.
15. Resource Management Act, Section 30(1)(g)- Parliament of New Zealand, 1991
16. Harris, R. (2004). "Local government and development legislation", Chapter 3G, ''Handbook of Environmental Law'', Harris, R. (ed.), {{ISBN. 0-9597851-8-3, Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, Wellington, p. 130.
17. Sections 135, 142, 150, and 154 Building Act 2004, Parliament of New Zealand.
18. (2 July 2025). "Memo to Shane Jones: what if NZ needs more regional government, not less?".
19. (25 November 2025). "No more regional councils - major shake-up of local government announced". [[RNZ]].
20. (25 November 2025). "Government proposes scrapping regional councillors and nudging councils towards amalgamation". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
21. (26 November 2025). "Mixed reactions to end of ORC". [[Otago Daily Times]].
22. (26 November 2025). "Pita Tipene: is it goodbye to Regional Councils?". [[Radio Waatea.
23. (26 November 2025). "Regional council revamp 'pretty serious attack' on Treaty rights - Andrew Little". [[RNZ]].
24. (26 November 2025). "Regional council overhaul an attempt to narrow Māori influence, yet again, expert warns". [[Te Ao Māori News]].
25. (28 November 2025). "Mayors can’t represent Māori - West Coast iwi chair". [[Te Ao Māori News]].
26. (26 November 2025). "Intent behind regional council reform is "not clear", Hipkins says". [[Newstalk ZB]].
27. . (30 January 2020). ["Regional Council 2020 Clipped (generalised)"](https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/layer/104253-regional-council-2020-clipped-generalised/). *Stats NZ*.
28. (1 March 2015). "East Coast places - Gisborne".
29. "NZ Outlying Islands Regional Information & Travel Information". New Zealand Tourism Guide.
30. Local Government Act 2002, s41(1)(a), Parliament of New Zealand
31. Local Government Act 2002, s41(1)(b), Parliament of New Zealand.
32. "Local Government (Rating) Act 2002". Department of Internal Affairs.
33. (5 November 2025). "Pita Tipene is new NRC chair, Jack Craw deputy". [[Northland Regional Council]].
34. (30 October 2025). "Waikato Regional Council chair and deputy selected". [[Waikato Regional Council]].
35. (October 2025). "Bay of Plenty Regional Council elects first-ever wahine Māori Chair". [[Bay of Plenty Regional Council]].
36. "Hawke's Bay Regional Council – our Councillors". [[Hawke's Bay Regional Council]].
37. (18 February 2025). "Council elects new chairperson". [[Taranaki Regional Council]].
38. (29 October 2025). "Horizons Regional Council elects Nikki Riley as chair". [[Horizons Regional Council]].
39. Long, Jessica. (30 October 2019). "Daran Ponter promises to fix Wellington's bus system as Greater Wellington Regional Council chairman". [[Stuff (website).
40. (30 October 2025). "Greater Wellington re-elects chair and deputy chair and warns of fiscal challenges of next three years". [[Greater Wellington Regional Council ]].
41. (29 October 2025). "New West Coast Regional Council Sworn In". [[West Coast Regional Council]].
42. (29 October 2025). "ECan councillors back Deon Swiggs as new chairperson". [[The Press]].
43. (29 October 2025). "Calvert elected chair of ORC". [[Otago Daily Times]].
44. (24 November 2025). "Environment Southland committees set". [[The Press]].
45. "Auckland Regional Authority, 1988".
46. (2011). "Parks Network Plan". Greater Wellington Regional Council.