The Government has unveiled plans it says will simplify how cities and regions are run, with proposals that include abolishing elected regional councillors and replacing them with new boards made up of mayors.

Ministers Chris Bishop and Simon Watts said the changes have been designed to cut duplication, reduce costs, and make it easier to plan for growth.

Bishop said the current system is confusing and inefficient.

“Local government is meant to serve communities, not confuse them. But right now, the system is tangled in duplication, disagreements, and decisions that defy common sense. The government does not think local government is serving New Zealanders well and the time has come for reform.”

The proposals sit alongside wider resource management reforms that will be introduced to Parliament within weeks. Bishop said the new planning system will remove duplication, reduce consent categories, and significantly reduce the role of regional councils.

To support the change, the Government is proposing two major shifts.

Abolishing regional councillors

Under the first proposal, elected regional councillors would be removed and replaced with Combined Territories Boards made up of the mayors from each city and district council within a region.

Watts said most people know their mayor but few could name their regional council representatives, and the new boards would provide clearer accountability.

He said the system would streamline decision making across planning, infrastructure, and regulation, and reduce confusion for ratepayers.

Most decisions would be made through a population based voting system, while decisions involving land and water would require both majority population support and majority support from board members.

Watts said removing regional councils would cut bureaucracy, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.

The second proposal requires each Combined Territories Board to prepare a regional reorganisation plan within two years.

Watts said the plans would examine how councils can best deliver infrastructure, services, and regulatory functions.

Options could include shared services, council owned companies, reallocating responsibilities, or merging councils into new unitary authorities.

Plans must show how they support housing and infrastructure, keep rates manageable, improve service delivery, and maintain Treaty settlement commitments. They must also include a practical pathway for implementation and be approved by the Minister of Local Government.

Consultation on the proposals is open until 20 February 2026 through the Department of Internal Affairs website, with final proposals expected by March so legislation can be drafted.

Bishop said the reforms are a once in a generation opportunity to create a simpler and more efficient local government system.

ACT is welcoming local government reforms announced today, saying the changes will remove duplication of costs and responsibilities between regional and local councils, and restore accountability to ratepayers.

The reforms would also fulfil the intent of ACT’s coalition commitment to end unelected representation at Environment Canterbury.

“This is a good day for local democracy. Kiwis deserve to know who is making decisions over their lives and livelihoods,” Local Government spokesperson Cameron Luxton said.

“For too long we have had territorial councils, regional councils, mayors, local MPs, area ministers and Cabinet all overlapping.

“People are left wondering who is responsible for what. Voters look at their papers for regional council and see a list of names they do not recognise and shrug their shoulders.

“Ratepayers don’t know who their regional chair is, but they do know who their mayor is. Under these reforms, they’ll know who to hold to account. By removing a layer of governance, we are making it clearer where responsibility sits.”

“The reform also achieves the intent of ACT’s coalition commitment to repeal the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngai Tahu Representation) Act 2022, which created unelected voting seats at the council.”

“In Canterbury, the regional council, including unelected appointees, has exercised enormous power over land use, freshwater rules, and farm productivity. Canterbury farmers have suffered from decisions made by people who never face the voters, and they’ve lost confidence and trust. Putting these decisions in the hands of democratically accountable mayors or their delegates means the people affected finally have a meaningful say.

“This is not about excluding anyone. It is about ensuring the people making decisions over public money and private property have a democratic mandate. Ngai Tahu can still stand candidates, advocate, and work with mayors across the region. What they cannot do is make decisions without being elected. That is the fair and proper standard.

“The changes also reduce duplication and cost across the system. Ratepayers fund councils to deliver basic services, not to argue about whether blame for failures lies at the local or regional level.

“These changes set the stage for our replacement of the Resource Management Act with a leaner, more efficient planning system. ACT supports any reform that strengthens local democracy and respects the property rights of the people who grow our food and keep the regions humming. Today’s announcement does that.”