‘Extremely tight timeframe’: Concerns over Government push for amalgamation
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
The Government’s tight deadline for councils to produce amalgamation plans is causing concern, while a key player in Wellington’s long talked about “super city” openly opposes the move.
Resource Management Act Reform Minister Chris Bishop said on Tuesday that councils have three months to submit proposals to amalgamate, or the Government will step in.
“Our message to councils is simple: lead your own reform, or we will do it for you. Either way, change is coming,” Bishop said.
In the Wellington region, Upper Hutt mayor Peri Zee said she was “highly sceptical” that the benefits of amalgamation outweighed the costs, with deep concerns rates would be driven up and the local voice would be lost.
Read more:
Concern as end of regional councils tipped in local government reforms
Regional councils replaced by boards of mayors in radical Government push
“Upper Hutt ratepayers don't want to subsidise Wellington residents and it is a matter of concern in our community,“ she said.
She did not believe three months was enough time to have a robust conversation, saying the “extremely tight timeframe” was a concern.
When questioned whether her council intended on making the three-month deadline, she said, “we’ll certainly be part of the conversation”.
Wellington mayor Andrew Little said amalgamation was “well worth exploring”, especially considering the large investments that were needed in climate and earthquake resilience.
On Upper Hutt’s opposition, he said all mayors had agreed to explore this, and if councils did not, the Government would do it for them.
He said it made sense for the four councils to come together and it would not be practical for one of them to not be a part of the super city.
“People are roving all over the region all the time and we use each other's facilities all the time … we now operate increasingly as a region as opposed to individual cities, and it'd be pretty hard to exclude yourself from that.”
Porirua mayor Anita Baker described the announcement as “absolutely fantastic”. Porirua had some of the highest rates in the country, with only its ratepayers to support it as it owned no large assets, she said.
“We all need to get on board and get it done in the next three months with our proposal so that we don't miss out … if the four of us actually get together and do something, it's better for all our residents.”
Amalgamation has been on the cards for Wellington for some time. The first major push for a super city was in 2012 and most recently, the Wellington Mayoral Forum ‒ including Wairarapa councils ‒ officially agreed to explore options late last year.
The Wellington Mayoral Forum is meeting this Friday to discuss amalgamation.
Bishop said several mayors had told the Government they were ready to move now.
Regional councils will still be abolished ‒ there will be no regional council election in 2028 ‒ but the Government has gone one step further.
The proposals aim to create larger, more efficient unitary authorities that “streamline functions, reduce duplication and improve decision-making”, Local Government Minister Simon Watts said.
‘More twists and turns’
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) President Rehette Stoltz said some regions would not be ready to submit proposals in three months’ time, and LGNZ would work with the Government on the process for those councils.
Labour’s Local Government spokesperson Tangi Utikere said it was a “messy, watered down plan from National”.
“While it's positive that councils have been consulted on their own reform, we'll see more twists and turns for the Government to blame missteps on councils and further excuses for overreach. The Government should fund councils to properly deliver the services they require.”
Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett said the reform would only succeed if it led to faster infrastructure delivery, more housing and stronger regional capability - not simply structural reshuffling.
“Councils have three months now to grasp the nettle and change. This fast-track process gives regions an opportunity to come together, build scale, and strengthen their ability to deliver for their communities. They should take it.”
The organisation is also calling on the Government to actively support councils through the transition.
Call for community input
South Wairarapa mayor Dame Fran Wilde said while the Government set a fast timeframe, community input was still needed.
“Our options are a Wairarapa unitary council or going with a Wellington unitary, but ensuring the model is changed so we get to run local Wairarapa issues.”
Carterton District Council mayor Steve Cretney said the district had been involved in discussions with neighbouring councils about what potential amalgamation could look like ‒ including Wairarapa and Wellington‑based options.
He wanted to know whether any regional council functions may be taken on by central government, and how this could affect future arrangements.
He said Carterton council was focused on alignment across the organisation while maintaining a strong local voice and fair representation for all communities.
Masterton deputy mayor Craig Bowyer welcomed the announcement, which he said presented an opportunity and a challenge and said conversations were already under way.
Waikato still deciding
Hamilton mayor Tim Macindoe said the announcement provided clarity at a time when councils across the country were considering the future of local government.
It was a chance to “test the appetite”, both within Hamilton City Council and among neighbouring councils, on whether the Waikato would submit a proposal or have the Government intervene.
“That’s an important strategic choice, and one we should approach together.”
Resourcing was key, and he said his council put questions to the Government around what funding would be provided.
While the three month timeframe was short, he said the issues were ones they had anticipated and some work was already under way.
'From a Hamilton perspective, we are open to moving at speed to ensure we are aligned and prepared for what comes next.
“However, we also need to be clear‑eyed about what this means. This is a significant change for the local government sector, and we must make sure we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
“We need to retain the critical functions that regional councils currently provide, such as flood management, catchment planning, climate‑change responsibilities, and our legislative obligations to iwi.”
South Waikato mayor Gary Petley said his council had already begun discussions with neighbouring councils on potential reform options.
“We knew if we weren’t at the table from the outset then we’d risk losing control of our own destiny. We are determined to ensure that is not the case,” Petley said.
“Right now are open-minded as to what the options of the future might be, but what is not negotiable for us is that those options must be beneficial to the South Waikato community.
“Just because we are small, that doesn’t mean our voice doesn’t count. It’s our role as community leaders to ensure that our district’s interests are considered, no matter what option might be adopted. That is leadership at district level.”
Buller mayor says more time is needed
Buller mayor Chris Russell was among many surprised by the Government’s announcement at a time when councils were already “very busy” with annual plans and establishing new water entities. “This is another timeline which requires a lot of work.”
He said he was not against reform but more time was needed. “This is not something to be rushed if we want to get it right.”
He was concerned reform could dilute local voices by centralising power, potentially in another district.
‘The devil is in the details’
Grey District mayor Tania Gibson said the current model was “not sustainable” and while the three-month timeframe was challenging, mayors, chairs and chief executives had been working on reform “for some time”.
Gibson said while the exact structure of any future model was still to be worked through, there was broad agreement that change was needed.
“The local government model is not sustainable as it is and that we need to work proactively together.
“We need to make sure that we're speaking from our community's point of view because it's a vast region … and we have a lot of isolated communities.”
“The devil's in the details. It's only just come out today, so we'll be working together to understand all of that.”
Critical turning point
Westland mayor Helen Lash said this was “a critical turning point” for the future of the West Coast.
“We can't sit here and say ‘oh my gosh this is too big or this is too fast’. It is what it is.”
But she believed it would be more complex than the Government realised and stressed the importance of consultation with West Coasters. “We’ve got to take the community with us … what we do now is going to impact the next two or three generations.”
Questions over how Southland councils will merge
Invercargill City Council mayor Tom Campbell said it would now be up to Southland’s mayors to decide whether they would continue with the Local Government Commission process already under way or take up the Government’s invitation.
All the councils were in agreement that there should not be four councils in Southland, he said.
The question was whether the councils would be amalgamated into one, two, or three bodies ‒ where the regional council was either absorbed into Gore District Council, or where each of the three territorial authorities absorbed some of the regional council’s responsibility.
“I think amalgamation is inevitable.”
South Canterbury welcomes announcement
Timaru District mayor Nigel Bowen welcomed the opportunity to amalgamate and take greater control of the district’s future.
“For too long, the urban voice of Christchurch has dominated regional policy, often failing to reflect the priorities and perspectives of South Canterbury urban and rural communities.”
“This is our opportunity to reset that balance and shape a model that works for town, country and every place in between.”
Waimate District mayor Craig Rowley said the announcement was a positive step that gave councils the ability to progress their reorganisation proposals.
Environment Canterbury chairperson Deon Swiggs says the voice of provincial and rural communities were most at risk. He pointed to districts like Kaikōura, that had “very distinct local identities”.
“Efficiencies aren’t always the answer when you’re talking about local democracy,” he said.
Additional reporting by: Sinead Gill, Sue Teodoro, Rachael Kelly, Yashas Srinivasa, Luisa Girao, Matthew Martin, Kira Carrington and Che Baker.