| Regions of New Zealand | |
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| Location |  New Zealand |
| Created |
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| Number | 16 (as of 1 July 1992) |
| Populations | 34,700 (West Coast) – 1,816,000 (Auckland) |
| Areas | 450 km2 (172 sq mi) (Nelson) – 45,350 km2 (17,508 sq mi) (Canterbury) |
| Government |
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Related topics |
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Theregions of New Zealand are the administrative jurisdictions of the country'sregional councils andunitary authorities; the country is divided into sixteen such areas. The councils derive their powers from thecentral government, asNew Zealand is aunitary state rather than afederation.
Eleven are currently administered by regional councils, whilst the other five are administered by unitary authorities.[a] Most ofNew Zealand's outlying Islands are not included within its regions, with theSolander Islands being the exception as they are within theSouthland Region. TheChatham Islands are not within any region, havingtheir own specially legislated territorial authority.
The regional councils are listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2 of theLocal Government Act 2002,[1] along with reference to theGazette notices that established them in 1989.[2] The act requires regional councils to promotesustainable development – the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of their communities.[3]
The current regions and most of their councils came into being through alocal government reform in 1989 that took place under theLocal Government Act 1974. The regional councils replaced the more than 700 ad hoc bodies that had been formed in the preceding century – roads boards, catchment boards, drainage boards, pest control boards, harbour boards, domain and reserve boards.[4] In addition they took over some roles that had previously been performed by county councils.
The boundaries of the regions are based largely ondrainage basins.[5] This anticipated the responsibilities of theResource Management Act 1991.[6] Most regional boundaries conform with territorial authority boundaries but there are a number of exceptions. An example isTaupō District, split between four regions, although most of its area is in theWaikato region.[7] There is often a high degree of co-operation between regional and territorial councils as they have complementary roles.
Regional councils have these specific functions under theResource Management Act 1991:
Regional councils have responsibility for functions under other statutes;[16]
In mid 2025,Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon and Regional Development MinisterShane Jones proposed scrapping the 11 regional councils as part of theSixth National Government's proposed overhaul of theResource Management Act 1991.[18] In late November 2025,Local Government MinisterSimon Watts and RMA Reform MinisterChris Bishop confirmed the Government would seek to abolish regional councils and transfer their responsibilities to the 67local district and city councils.[19][20]
The Government has released two replacement proposals. First, abolishing elected regional councillors and replacing them with combined territories boards, which would consist of the mayors of the district councils within the former regions. While the regional councils as organisations would remain, they would be run by the mayors of the constituent regions. The Government's second proposal would be to get the combined territories boards to prepare a regional reorganisation plan within two years of their establishment, subject to approval by the Local Government Minister. These plans would focus on the delivery of infrastructure, public services and regulatory functions, and would be tested against criteria based on housing, infrastructure, and manageable rates services.[20] Public consultation on the proposed legislative changes is open until 20 February 2026. The legislation is expected to be introduced in mid-2026 with the goal of passing it into law by 2027.[19]
The Government's proposal to abolish the regional councils attracted a mixture of reactions. The proposal was supported byOtago Regional councillorMichael Laws andDunedin City councillorLee Vandervis, who described the regional councils as an "excessive level" of bureaucracy and argued that their dissolution would lowerrates andred tape.[21] By contrast, the proposal was opposed byMayor of WellingtonAndrew Little, Otago Regional councillor Alan Somerville,Te Wānanga o Raukawa environmental planning lecturer Mahina-a-rangi Baker, Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio chair Paul Madgwick andMayor of DunedinSophie Barker on the grounds that abolishing the regional councils would erode environmental protections, reduce Māori input in regional-level decision-making, infringe onTreaty of Waitangi obligations and add further to mayors and territorial authorities' workloads.[21][22][23][24][25] Meanwhile,Mayor of Central OtagoTamah Alley,Mayor of GisborneRehette Stoltz andLabour leaderChris Hipkins expressed concerns about accountability, the loss of technical expertise, and the nature of the proposed reforms.[21][23][26]
In mid-February 2026, several Otago regional councillors criticised the Government's proposal to replace the regional councils. Michael Laws described the proposal as "poorly written, drafted by bureaucrats who used AI when it was in a hallucination state and drawn up by people who had not passed their NCEA literacy tests." Instead, Laws advocated maintaining a regional government in Otago and aunitary authority based on theAuckland Council.[clarification needed] Gretchen Robertson said that the restructure could lead to fragmentation while Neil Gillespie described local government as something "that was not simple."[27]
| Name (name inMāori if different) | Regional council | Seats | Council seat | Land area[28] | Population[29] | Density | ISO 3166-2 Code | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | per km2 | per sq mi | |||||||
| 1 | Northland Te Tai Tokerau | Northland Regional Council | 9 | Whangārei | 12,504 | 4,828 | 201,100 | 16.08 | 41.6 | NZ-NTL |
| 2 | Auckland[b] Tāmaki-makau-rau | Auckland Council | 21 | Auckland | 4,941 | 1,908 | 1,816,000 | 367.54 | 951.9 | NZ-AUK |
| 3 | Waikato | Waikato Regional Council | 14 | Hamilton | 23,900 | 9,200 | 532,100 | 22.26 | 57.7 | NZ-WKO |
| 4 | Bay of Plenty Te Moana-a-Toi | Bay of Plenty Regional Council | 14 | Whakatāne | 12,072 | 4,661 | 351,500 | 29.12 | 75.4 | NZ-BOP |
| 5 | Gisborne[b][c] Te Tairāwhiti | Gisborne District Council | 14 | Gisborne | 8,385 | 3,237 | 52,700 | 6.29 | 16.3 | NZ-GIS |
| 6 | Hawke's Bay Te Matau-a-Māui | Hawke's Bay Regional Council | 11 | Napier | 14,138 | 5,459 | 179,700 | 12.71 | 32.9 | NZ-HKB |
| 7 | Taranaki | Taranaki Regional Council | 11 | Stratford | 7,254 | 2,801 | 130,300 | 17.96 | 46.5 | NZ-TKI |
| 8 | Manawatū-Whanganui | Horizons Regional Council | 12 | Palmerston North | 22,221 | 8,580 | 260,700 | 11.73 | 30.4 | NZ-MWT |
| 9 | Wellington Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara | Greater Wellington Regional Council | 13 | Wellington | 8,049 | 3,108 | 543,400 | 67.51 | 174.9 | NZ-WGN |
| 10 | Tasman[b] Te Tai-o-Aorere | Tasman District Council | 13 | Richmond | 9,616 | 3,713 | 59,900 | 6.23 | 16.1 | NZ-TAS |
| 11 | Nelson[b] Whakatū | Nelson City Council | 13 | Nelson | 422 | 163 | 54,300 | 128.67 | 333.3 | NZ-NSN |
| 12 | Marlborough[b] Te Tauihu-o-te-waka | Marlborough District Council | 14 | Blenheim | 10,458 | 4,038 | 50,800 | 4.84 | 12.5 | NZ-MBH |
| 13 | West Coast Te Tai Poutini | West Coast Regional Council | 7 | Greymouth | 23,245 | 8,975 | 34,700 | 1.49 | 3.9 | NZ-WTC |
| 14 | Canterbury Waitaha | Environment Canterbury | 14 | Christchurch | 44,504 | 17,183 | 698,200 | 15.69 | 40.6 | NZ-CAN |
| 15 | Otago Ōtākou | Otago Regional Council | 12 | Dunedin | 31,186 | 12,041 | 253,900 | 8.14 | 21.1 | NZ-OTA |
| 16 | Southland Murihiku | Southland Regional Council | 12 | Invercargill | 31,196 | 12,045 | 104,800 | 3.36 | 8.7 | NZ-STL |
Notes
Some outlying islands are not included within regional boundaries. TheChatham Islands is not in a region, althoughits council has some of the powers of a regional council under theResource Management Act 1991. TheKermadecs and thesubantarctic islands are inhabited only by a small number ofDepartment of Conservation staff and there is no regional council for these islands.[31]
Regional councils are popularly elected every three years in accordance with the Local Electoral Act 2001.[32] Councils may use afirst-past-the-post orsingle transferable vote system. The chairperson is selected by the elected council members.[33]
Regional councils are funded throughproperty rates,subsidies from central government, income from trading, and user charges for certain public services. Councils set their own levels of rates,[34] though the mechanism for collecting it usually involves channelling through the territorial authority collection system.
| Region | Chair | Affiliation | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northland | .jpg) | Pita Tipene | Independent | 5 November 2025[35] |
| Waikato | Warren Maher | Rates Control Team | 29 October 2025[36] | |
| Bay of Plenty | Matemoana McDonald | Independent | October 2025[37] | |
| Hawke's Bay | Sophie Siers | Independent | 29 October 2025[38] | |
| Taranaki | Craig Williamson | Independent | 18 February 2025[39] | |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | Nikki Riley | Independent | 29 October 2025[40] | |
| Greater Wellington | .jpg) | Daran Ponter | Labour | October 2019[41][42] |
| West Coast | Colin Smith | Independent | 29 October 2025[43] | |
| Canterbury | .jpg) | Deon Swiggs | Independent | 29 October 2025[44] |
| Otago |  | Hilary Calvert | Vision Otago | 29 October 2025[45] |
| Southland | Jeremy McPhail | Independent | October 2025[46] | |
The Auckland Regional Council (now theAuckland Council) was preceded by theAuckland Regional Authority (ARA), which existed from 1963 to 1989.[47]
The Wellington Regional Council was first formed in 1980 from a merger of the Wellington Regional Planning Authority and the Wellington Regional Water Board.[48]
In 1978, legislation was passed enabling the formation of regions that hadunited councils. Twenty regions were designated, excluding the Auckland and Wellington areas. For most of the country this was the first time there had been a regional level of government since the abolition ofprovinces in 1876.Councillors were not elected directly – they were appointed from the various territorial local authorities (TLAs) within the region.
The only responsibilities mandated by the legislation were coordination ofcivil defence and development of a regional plan, although the constituent TLAs could agree on additional responsibilities at the point of formation of each united council. For example, in a number of cases the united council took responsibility for the allocation of revenue from regional petrol taxes.
The united councils were based in the facilities of the largest TLA in the region and largely dependent on the TLAs for resources. They were allowed to levy rates but in most cases had minimal operating budgets (below $100,000 per annum). The notable exception was Canterbury, where the united council had a number of responsibilities. Only one united council undertook any direct operational activity – a forestry project in Wanganui.[4]
| Region | When formed | Levy rates (1982/83) |
|---|---|---|
| Northland | January 1980 | $118,000 |
| Thames Valley | July 1980 | $46,000 |
| Waikato | October 1980 | $36,000 |
| Bay of Plenty | August 1979 | $17,000 |
| Tongariro | November 1979 | $50,000 |
| East Cape | August 1979 | $16,000 |
| Hawke's Bay | December 1983 | – |
| Taranaki | February 1979 | $60,000 |
| Wanganui | May 1979 | $81,000 |
| Wairarapa | November 1978 | $33,000 |
| Manawatu | May 1981 | 0 |
| Horowhenua | June 1980 | $47,000 |
| Nelson Bays | November 1978 | $84,000 |
| Marlborough | December 1978 | $30,000 |
| Canterbury | May 1979 | $605,000 |
| West Coast | November 1978 | $32,000 |
| Aorangi | 1983 | – |
| Coastal / North Otago | April 1983 | – |
| Clutha / Central Otago | November 1980 | $33,000 |
| Southland | May 1979 | $88,000 |
Source:Summary of the Functions and Activities of United Councils. Dept of Internal Affairs, 1984.
| North Island |  | |
|---|---|---|
| South Island | ||
* Governed by aunitary authority rather than a regional council | ||
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