What should local government look like for our region?
The Government has announced a new voluntary Head Start pathway for councils that want to put forward local government reorganisation proposals ahead of wider reform from 2028.
On this page
The Government has announced it will take additional time before deciding which Head Start proposals will progress. Cabinet will now consider proposals in early 2027.
The Government has announced a voluntary Head Start pathway for councils that wish to put forward local government reorganisation proposals ahead of wider reform from 2028. Under this pathway, city and district councils were invited to work together to develop outline proposals for new unitary authorities for their areas. A unitary authority combines both local and regional council functions within a single organisation.
Outline proposals had to be submitted to the Government by 9 August 2026. The Government is now undertaking further work before deciding which proposals, if any, will progress to detailed design. Cabinet is expected to consider proposals in early 2027, with final decisions on detailed proposals to follow later in 2027.
The Government says these changes are intended to make local government simpler, more efficient and more affordable, while also supporting the transition to a new planning system.
For regions that do not move ahead through the Head Start pathway, wider local government reform is expected after the 2028 local elections through a separate ‘backstop’ process. Decisions on this process are also expected in early 2027.
Department of Internal Affairs
Beehive
Council papers
Key dates
Head Start proposals open May 2026
Regional Council survey June / July 2026
Proposals submitted to Government 9 August 2026
Government considers Head Start proposals Early 2027
Legislation development and implementation To be confirmed by Government
Proposed implementation of approved Head Start reforms Ahead of the 2028 local elections
Backstop process decisions Early 2027
Local elections October 2028
Eighteen proposals were submitted to the Government in August 2026 as part of the Head Start local government reform initiative. The Government has since announced that it will undertake further work before deciding which proposals, if any, will progress to the detailed design stage. Cabinet is now expected to consider proposals in early 2027.
In the Bay of Plenty, councils worked together to explore potential local government reform options and seek community feedback. No decisions have been made on whether any proposal will proceed, and the Government is yet to determine the next stage of the Head Start process.
Find out more from your local council
We agree there is room for improvement in how local government works, and are open to change where it leads to better outcomes, affordability and service delivery for our communities. Any future model must leave the Bay of Plenty the same or better than it is today, and do so fairly for communities across the whole region.
Under the Government’s Head Start pathway, regional councils cannot submit outline proposals and are not the decision makers on whether a proposal goes forward.
Our role is to contribute evidence, explain how regional services work, support informed discussion, and work alongside city and district councils as the region considers its options.
Chair Matemoana McDonald Mauao Māori
matemoana.mcdonald@boprc.govt.nz
Mawera Karetai Kōhi Māori
Mawera.Karetai@boprc.govt.nz
Iwi te Whau Ōkurei Māori
Iwi.TeWhau@boprc.govt.nz
Stuart Crosby Tauranga
Stuart.Crosby@boprc.govt.nz
Deputy Chair Glenn Dougal Tauranga
Glenn.Dougal@boprc.govt.nz
Kate Graeme Tauranga
Kate.Graeme@boprc.govt.nz
Kat Macmillan Tauranga
Kat.Macmillan@boprc.govt.nz
Tim Maltby Tauranga
Tim.Maltby@boprc.govt.nz
Sarah McCorkindale Eastern Bay of Plenty
Sarah.McCorkindale@boprc.govt.nz
Anna Grayling Rotorua
Anna.Grayling@boprc.govt.nz
Raj Kumar Rotorua
Raj.Kumar@boprc.govt.nz
John Scrimgeour Western Bay of Plenty
John.Scrimgeour@boprc.govt.nz
Ken Shirley Western Bay of Plenty
Ken.Shirley@boprc.govt.nz
Between Monday 29 June and Sunday 12 July we sought community feedback as part of this conversation.
The report from this survey is now available.
There are many different ways local government could be organised in the Bay of Plenty in the future.
Each one changes how decisions are made, how services are delivered, and how costs are shared. There is no single ‘right’ option as each model has different benefits and trade-offs.
Below we’ve presented three options to help understand what matters most to you about how local government is structured in the region.
In this model, one council would deliver both local and regional services across the whole Bay of Plenty.
This means decisions about things like roads, rubbish, public transport, flood protection and the environment would all sit within one organisation.
This approach keeps services together and makes it easier to plan and deliver things across the whole region. It may also reduce replication of back-office functions and improve efficiency
It also ensures that local communities still have a voice, but decision-making would be more centralised at a regional level.
In this model, the region would be divided into three areas, each with its own council delivering both local and regional services.
Each council would make decisions for its own area, with a stronger focus on local control and local identity.
This means decision-making is closer to communities. It also means that services and planning that currently operate across the whole region may be split up.
This may lead to replication of back-office functions, higher costs, and less coordination across the Bay of Plenty
In this model, there would be three councils managing local services, alongside a separate regional organisation responsible for delivering region-wide services.
What sits where in terms of regional delivery would still need to be decided.
This keeps a regional delivery layer, but splits responsibilities and decision making across multiple separate organisations.
This can make coordination more complex and may affect how clearly decisions are made, how accountable organisations are, and how services are funded over time.
The Government is currently undertaking further work on the Head Start proposals submitted in August 2026 before deciding which proposals, if any, will progress to the detailed design stage. Cabinet is expected to consider the proposals in early 2027.
Some council functions do not stop at city or district boundaries. Rivers, catchments, flood risks, pests, public transport networks and environmental pressures all operate across the wider region. That is why some services are best planned and delivered at a regional scale.
Regional-scale delivery helps support clearer coordination, consistent standards, long-term planning and better resilience in emergencies. It also helps reduce duplication and makes it easier to align planning, funding and delivery across the Bay of Plenty.
Examples of regional work include:
Whatever local government looks like in future, it will be important to retain the benefits of well-coordinated regional delivery, while making sure communities continue to have a meaningful local voice.
Healthy Catchments
Biosecurity and pest management, freshwater and catchment restoration, Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes (Crown-funded), climate adaptation, regional parks
112 specific regional pest management plans, 280,000 visits to regional parks, 300+ Priority Biodiversity areas
Annual cost around $43.6m ($33.4m OPEX; $10.2m CAPEX)
Funded: 90% funded through regional rate or investment income
Example in action: Kaituna catchment in partnership with iwi and govt, converted 90 hectares (70 rugby fields) to wetland, and planted 700,000 native plants.
Regulatory Services
Resource consents (air, water, hazards), compliance, monitoring and enforcement, maritime/Harbour Master, Civil Defence (CDEM)
Assess 700 consent applications, 4,000 compliance monitoring inspections, more than 2,000 pollution hotline calls, maintain 850 navigational aids
Annual cost around $26.3m OPEX
Funded: 20% targeted rate, 50% regional rate or investment income, 30% fees and charges
Example in action: Regulatory and science support to Rotorua Air Quality – ultimately resulted in reduction of years of life lost (596 to 246).
Transportation
Public transport (Baybus), network and service planning, Regional Land Transport Plan
2.38m trips per year – that’s equivalent to the entire population of Tauranga being moved every two weeks.
Annual cost around $56.6m ($55.5m OPEX; $1.1m CAPEX)
Funded: 38% targeted rate, 12% regional rate or investment income, 50% fees, charges and Government funding
Example in action: Developing the Regional Land Transport Plan – prioritising transport investment across the region
Regional Planning and Development
Regional plans (Regional Policy Statement, Regional Natural Resources Plan), spatial planning, regional development
Shapes billions of dollars of infrastructure, land use and environmental outcomes across the region. Regional-based because environmental systems, growth and infrastructure networks operate across boundaries.
Annual cost around $11.5m OPEX
Funded: 100% funded through regional rate or investment income
Example in action: Regional Spatial Planning aligns transport, urban development and environmental protection to ensure decisions about where growth occurs are support by the right infrastructure and systems.
Flood management
Reduce flood risk through catchment management and the planning, construction and maintenance of river and drainage schemes, supported by modelling and warnings
400km of stopbanks, 5 major river and drainage schemes
Annual cost around $44.1m ($24.5m OPEX; $19.6m CAPEX)
Funded: 64% targeted rate, 35% regional rate or investment income
Example in action: Project Future Proof – $24m upgrade of flood protection infrastructure through the Whakatāne CBD in response to impacts of a changing climate.
Community engagement
Governance and elections, communications and engagement, community funding programmes
Distribute community funding and coordinate 15,000 volunteer hours annually, and administer 75 council and committee meetings annually, considering around 500 items of business.
Annual cost around $15.9m OPEX
Funded: 100% funded through regional rate or investment income
Example in action: Environmental Enhancement Schemes for community groups to achieve environmental outcomes (Coast care groups, EEF, SSRF)
Support and technical services
Environmental science, data management and monitoring, corporate (finance, ICT, legal), shared services
1700 monitoring sites across the region, data supporting flood, consents, planning and hazard response
Annual cost around $24.9m OPEX
Funded: 100% funded through regional rate, investment income or fees
Example in action: Providing regional science, data and systems to support decisions. Laboratory services that test water quality including for TLAs.
Partnerships with Māori
Supporting and strengthening Māori capacity and capability, enabling contribution to Council decision making
Budget/funding for: Māori initiatives, kaitiakitanga, Iwi Management Plans, Treaty Co-governance secretariat + in-kind support
Annual cost around $3.1m OPEX
Funded: 100% funded through regional rate and investment income
Examples in action: Treaty Co-Governance independent secretariat support provides dedicated Iwi with assistance for strategic planning, submissions, technical advice
What is Simplifying Local Government?
The Government is proposing changes to how local government is organised in New Zealand. The overall aim is to make the system simpler, clearer and more cost-effective, including through new pathways that could lead to unitary authorities in some areas.
Simplifying Local Government is the name given to this programme.
Does this mean changes are happening to Bay of Plenty Regional Council right now?
No. The Government’s announcement set out a policy direction and possible pathways, but it did not decide what will happen in our region. Our current responsibilities remain the same, and our focus remains on delivering for our communities, meeting our statutory obligations, and keeping essential services running.
What is the Head Start pathway?
Head Start is a streamlined, voluntary pathway for councils that want to work together on an early reorganisation proposal. The Government has said this pathway is focused on proposals for new unitary authorities, and outline proposals are due in August 2026.
A unitary authority is a single council that combines the responsibilities currently carried out by a regional council and a city or district council. In simple terms, it brings regional and local functions together under one structure.
What is a territorial authority (city or district council)?
A council that looks after local community services and infrastructure on a day-to-day basis - like roads, water, rubbish and recycling, libraries, parks, and local rules.
A council that manages the environment and services across the whole region - like flood protection, pest control, public transport planning, and air and water quality.
What role does Bay of Plenty Regional Council have in this?
Bay of Plenty Regional Council is helping shape the regional conversation and advocating for what matters to our communities and environment. Our position is that reform should improve outcomes, affordability and service delivery, but it must also be grounded in community voice, Māori partnership and a clear shared vision for the future. We are also clear that many of the functions we deliver are best considered at a regional scale.
Can Bay of Plenty Regional Council submit a Head Start proposal on its own?
No. The Regional Council cannot submit its own proposal under the current Head Start settings – proposals need to come from territorial (city and district) and/or unitary councils working together. Our role is to contribute regional knowledge, advocate for the functions and relationships that matter most, and work with partners across the Bay of Plenty as discussions continue.
No. Current regional councillors will stay on through to the end of the 2028 term to lead regional councils in their roles in the new planning system, particularly regional spatial plans.
However the intention through this process is that regional councillors will not be elected at the 2028 local elections. They will be replaced by an interim body, for example a board of mayors, Crown commissioners, or a hybrid model. The Government will confirm the exact model in 2027, when successful Head Start proposals are approved.
