Government gives councils amalgamation ultimatum

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government has given councils an ultimatum: come up with amalgamation plans within three months or the government will do it for you.

Local Government Minister Simon Watts and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop announced the move on Tuesday afternoon, giving a three-month deadline for reorganisation plans to be delievered.

It followed an announcement in November that groups of city and district mayors – with some government oversight – would be formed to come up with such plans.

But the ministers on Tuesday said if councils failed to make use of the new ‘Head Start’ approach, they would be forced into changes.

“Our message to councils is simple: lead your own reform, or we will do it for you. Either way, change is coming,” Bishop said.

Watts was explicit that proposals should focus on creating larger, more efficient unitary authorities.

He said the government was providing councils with “real flexibility”.

“Proposals don’t need to cover an entire region, but they must show clear support, strong leadership, and real benefits for communities.”

The proposals would be considered by government officials against criteria including practicality, simplicity, value for money, effective representation, timeliness and how it works with the new resource management system.

Decisions would be made this year, then developed in detail and signed off in 2027 to be implemented ahead of the 2028 local elections.

“For areas that do not come forward through the head start pathway, the government will implement a backstop process to ensure reform still happens across the country. This will involve a standardised approach, including transitional governance arrangements while changes are put in place,” Watts said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand