‘We haven’t got any friends’: Christchurch mayor says neighbouring districts won’t merge with city

Thursday, 2 July 2026

Selwyn and Waimakariri send a larger share of their workers into Christchurch than any other districts across New Zealand send to neighbouring cities.

Selwyn and Waimakariri residents spend almost $1 billion a year in the city and hundreds use its libraries and pools, new data shows.

The two districts are also the most city-tied in New Zealand, according to an independent report on Greater Christchurch’s economy.

Selwyn and Waimakariri send a larger share of their workers into Christchurch than any other districts in New Zealand, with 44.5% of Selwyn’s workers and 38% of Waimakariri’s workers commuting into the city. The districts around Wellington, Hamilton or Tauranga all sit lower.

The information has been released by Christchurch City Council as it gathers evidence before deciding on an amalgamation proposal.

Data also shows that 2428 people who live outside Christchurch but within Canterbury are members of the city libraries, and 958 are members of the council’s sport and recreation centres. Some 93% of those live in Selwyn and Waimakariri.

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger, left, Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon and Selwyn mayor Lydia Gliddon have been discussing merger plans, and Mauger says the two districts do not want to merge with the city.

The council also revealed on Wednesday that 7300 people filled out its amalgamation survey. Most respondents said they did not feel they had a good understanding of what the proposed changes mean.

The Government is forcing a fast-tracked amalgamation of local government. In May it gave councils across New Zealand until August 9 to lodge merger proposals.

If councils fail to come up with their own plans, the Government has warned it will do so for them.

At a city council briefing on Wednesday, mayor Phil Mauger said Selwyn and Waimakariri had made it clear to him they did not want to merge with the city.

“They don’t want us to touch their towns, OK, so we haven’t got any friends.”

The city council engaged consultants Heuser Whittington to look at the economy of Greater Christchurch, while not making any merger recommendations.

The data shows Selwyn residents spent $627.7m in Christchurch in the year to June 2025. Waimakariri residents spent $288.5m. Christchurch residents spent $84m in Selwyn and $81m in Waimakariri.

Christchurch City Council will decide in early August what merger option to submit to the Government. (File photo)

Of the three areas, Selwyn was growing the fastest with its population lifting 4.8% between 2018 and 2025, while Waimakariri grew by 1.9% and Christchurch 1.3% - all above the national average of 1.2%.

The report said Greater Christchurch functioned as one economy, but that, on its own, was not a case for any particular configuration because a functional economy could be governed in more than one way.

Heuser Whittington partner Phil Whittington told the council lots of cities had multiple councils like Melbourne, where you could cross the road and not even know you were in a new council area.

The council’s consultation sought residents' priorities, concerns and expectations for local government reform rather than asking them to choose between specific models like Selwyn and Waimakariri did.

More than 60% of respondents to Christchurch’s survey wanted communities to retain local representation and decision making. They also wanted planning, growth and infrastructure to be improved and better coordinated and wanted essential services to remain accessible and locally delivered.

Waimakariri’s consultation has yet to close. Selwyn’s survey results, released last week, found 46% of the 6900 responses wanted the council to explore both amalgamating with other neighbouring councils and becoming a Selwyn-based unitary authority.

The city council is expected to discuss specific merger options at a workshop on July 14 before making a decision in early August.

Cabinet will decide in September which proposals to progress.

On Wednesday, Cr Kelly Barber asked staff what would happen if the council decided that it made economic sense to combine Christchurch with its northern and southern counterparts, but those councils did not agree.

Mauger said the minister would then decide.

Cr Pauline Cotter wanted to know what would happen if the council put in a proposal that was the status quo, but with regional council functions added.

Interim chief executive Bede Carran said he did not know what the Government’s response to that would be.

He said the council was “trying to grapple with the uncertainty” and there was an “information gap” about what might be acceptable.

Cotter and her six People’s Choice colleagues have already come out opposing a merger with Selwyn and Waimakariri.

In June, Cr Sam MacDonald said he supported amalgamating with Selwyn and Waimakariri, and if those districts refused to merge then their residents should be tolled to enter Christchurch.