Regional council replacement proposal

The story so far

The Government has proposed abolishing New Zealand's 11 regional councils and replacing them with 11 Combined Territories Boards made up of city and district mayors, which would take over regional decision-making; ministers describe it as a significant reform to make local government fit for purpose.^{25, 26 Nov 2025} Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says the current council structure hinders economic growth through cost burdens and green overreach, and has criticised Otago's councils for too much iwi influence.^{26 Nov 2025} Northland leaders have called for a local focus in response to the reform, which has been described as the most significant local government shake-up in decades.^{26 Nov 2025} Ministers Chris Bishop and Simon Watt are leading the work to reform regional councils, aiming to reduce bureaucracy and overlapping roles.^{2 Dec 2025} Separately, mayors in the Wellington and Wairarapa regions have agreed to investigate merging their councils, citing infrastructure and economic issues and uncertainty about central government policy.^{11 Dec 2025}

Latest

Wellington and Wairarapa mayors have agreed to explore amalgamation options and intend to develop potential merger models together.^{11 Dec 2025}

What's next

The Wellington and Wairarapa mayors intend to work together to develop potential amalgamation models for the region.^{11 Dec 2025}

Key moments

1. 25 Nov 2025Government proposes replacing 11 regional councils with mayor-led Combined Territories Boards.
2. 26 Nov 2025Shane Jones criticises regional councils, particularly Otago's, over growth and iwi influence.
3. 26 Nov 2025Northland mayors respond, calling for a local focus on the reform.
4. 2 Dec 2025Ministers Bishop and Watt begin work on regional council reform.
5. 11 Dec 2025Wellington and Wairarapa mayors agree to explore council amalgamation.

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.