In this section

The Government is proposing the biggest shakeup to the way local government services are delivered across New Zealand since 1989.

Before making this decision, we want to hear what you think.

• Consultation Print Version (pdf, 4.5 MB updated 06-Jul-2026)

• Council Report: Options for consultation on future local governance (pdf, 5.2 MB updated 06-Jul-2026)

Why, What & When?

Why is this happening?

New Zealand currently has separate district/city councils and regional councils in many parts of the country. District councils are responsible for local services such as roads, community facilities, libraries, parks, cemeteries and local planning and building consents.

Regional councils are responsible for functions including freshwater management, flood protection, environmental monitoring, biosecurity, public transport, regional transport planning, and coastal management.

The Government says it wants a simpler system, with larger unitary councils that do all these things while
ensuring they:

• support the new planning system;
• simplify local governance;
• create economies of scale;
• maintain strong local voice; and
• can be realistically delivered in time for the 2028 local elections.

What is a unitary council?

A unitary council is a single council that carries out both:

• the local functions currently carried out by district councils; and
• the regional functions currently carried out by regional councils.

This means one organisation is responsible for local roads, parks, libraries, community facilities, district planning, environmental regulation, river and catchment management, flood protection, regional transport planning, and other regional functions. It
could also involve agreements to share the delivery of some services with other councils (but not the decision making).

A unitary council would not necessarily mean that every decision is made centrally. Any proposal would need to explain how local communities would continue to be represented and heard. Options could include wards, community boards, local committees,
local service centres, or other arrangements designed to maintain local voice.

What decision is your Council making now?

Timaru District Council is not making a final decision to amalgamate with other councils through this consultation.

At this stage, your local Council is deciding whether to submit an outline proposal to the Government under the Head Start pathway and what form that should take.

If the Government accepts an outline proposal, it would move into a more detailed design phase. That later phase would involve more detailed work on representation, costs, services, staff, assets, debt, boundaries, regional functions, Treaty settlement arrangements, and public consultation before any final implementation. The final shape of the council may differ from what we’re suggesting in this paper, but your feedback will help us understand what’s important to you as we begin to build this new council.

Why is the timeframe so short?

The Government has set a deadline of 9 August 2026 for Head Start outline proposals. This means we do not have enough time to run the type of full consultation process normally expected for a decision of this scale.

We are therefore running a shorter, focused consultation process to help inform your local Council’s decision before it considers whether to submit an outline proposal. Although the timeframe is short, this is an important decision so it's important that you have your say.

The options we want your feedback on

At this stage, we are asking:

Do you support Councils putting forward a locally led Head Start outline proposal, and if so, which broad direction do you prefer?

Council is seeking feedback on the following broad options A-E.

Note that all maps are indicative only and do not reflect what the final boundaries will look like. Information is sourced from publicly available sources.

Catchments vs territorial boundaries?

Should the new council follow existing council boundaries, or should it include whole river catchments where that makes environmental and flood-management sense? We’ve highlighted the approximate expanded areas on the maps in green.

For more information about each of the options click the links below:

• Option A: A South Canterbury Unitary Council based on either territorial or river catchment boundaries
• Option B: A Mid-South Canterbury Unitary Council based on either territorial or river catchment boundaries
• Option C: A Mid-South Canterbury & North Otago Unitary Council based on either territorial or river catchment boundaries.
• Option D: Do not submit a Head Start proposal and enter the backstop process.
• Option E: Other option – You may prefer another arrangement.

How do you have your say?

Once you've read the proposals you can have your say on the online form here:

> Consultation Form

All feedback needs to be received by 5pm on Friday 24 July 2026.

Timaru District Council will consider all feedback before making a decision on 31 July 2026.

Due to the nature of these reforms, which will involve multiple communities, as part of its decision making your local Council will
also be considering the position of its neighbouring councils. This means the final shape of any proposal may vary from what is in this
consultation document.

The outcome of any proposal cannot be guaranteed as the final decision sits with central government, and any councils that do not
make a proposal may eventually be brought into already formed partnerships.

Last updated: 06 Jul 2026