FAQs

The Government has stated it wants less councils and wants to see unitary councils covering larger areas than the current district and city councils and that Regional Councils will be abolished.  

Council has been engaging with our Otago neighbours as part of the Otago Mayoral Forum. It has also met individually, and collectively, with South Canterbury Councils - Waimate, Mackenzie, Timaru and Ashburton.

The Otago Mayoral Forum launched a survey in May, and Waitaki hosted a version which recognised our unique position in both Otago and Canterbury.

Council has not made any decisions. We’re asking for the communities' views and priorities to understand what matters most to you about local representation. We want to get a sense of how our communities are feeling about this potential change, with this information informing any future conversations about reorganisation. 

The future shape of local government will ultimately be determined by central government – but Waitaki District Council is committed to making sure the voice of the community is heard before those decisions are made.

The Government have announced two pathways for Council to choose – Head Start or the backstop. Both lead Waitaki District Council toward amalgamation with other councils into a unitary authority.

A unitary authority is one which has all of the responsibilities of existing District or City Councils, as well as the responsibilities of the current Regional Councils. It will mean that within the boundaries of the unitary authority all local government services and powers are part of one local government authority.

Head Start is a 3-month deadline to propose amalgamation of all Councils within a region, or a number of Councils within a region, or a number of Councils across regional boundaries.

Proposals for amalgamation must be made by two or more Councils, and can include Councils who are not involved in developing the proposal.

The government will approve Head Start proposals in September 2026.

Proposals have to be made by two or more Councils and involve amalgamation into a Unitary Authority. If a proposal is made by a majority of Councils in a region to amalgamate, the minority Councils will be included – even if they are not making the proposal and dont agree with it.

The Government has issued some guidance for proposals which we have shared on this page as a document.

Councils who do not make a proposal, are not part of other Councils’ approved proposal, or have their proposal turned down will be amalgamated after the 2028 Local Elections. The Government will set out how this will happen in 2027.

These reforms will end Regional Councils, District Councils and City Councils if implemented according to the policy document.

They will be replaced with a smaller number of unitary authorities. These may be based on existing regional boundaries, or multiple unitary authorities could be set up within an existing region.

Whichever pathway is chosen, the Government will have the final say. The legislation to support these changes is proposed to be introduced by Government in 2027, and implementation would begin in 2028 in the leadup to the next local elections. 

The proposals are due in by 9 August 2026. The Government has said they will approve proposals in September 2026. This is before the general election.

Council is well aware that a change of Government can involve a rapid change of direction regarding reforms – Three Waters to Affordable Water to Local Water Done Well is the most obvious example of that.

However, Council must engage in good faith with the proposed reforms – as the announcement this week places the responsibility for amalgamation proposals on Councils now, if they wish to take the Head Start pathway.