Reinventing local government for Wellington’s communities

A new working group has been set up by Wellington Councils to rapidly design what the future of local government could look like in the region with the aim of submitting a Head Start proposal to the Government in the next three months.  

The reform working group is reporting to the Chief Executives, Mayors and Chairs of all City, District and Regional Councils in Wellington.

The need for reform of local government is widely acknowledged. The gaps between what communities need and expect, what current local government arrangements can afford to deliver, and what central government contributes are widening.

Communities are asking more of their local councils while expecting costs to remain affordable. 

Businesses are operating across multiple council jurisdictions with different rules and regulations within a single regional labour and economic market. 

Mana Whenua are required to engage repeatedly with multiple councils on the same strategic issues, placing unnecessary demands on their capacity.  

Councils are working hard to balance these rising expectations and to contain rates while operating under sustained financial pressure, constrained organisational capacity, a changing regulatory environment and reduced central government funding in key areas.

With water-related functions moving to separate water service companies across most of the region from 1 July and RMA reform ushering in new regional spatial plans, now is the ideal opportunity to look at the form and function of councils in the wider Wellington region through the Government’s Head Start pathway.  

Reimagining our region’s local government could help make things easier for our communities, by supporting their wellbeing and the wellbeing of the environment, and working to strengthen trust, confidence and participation in local government. 

The work will continue at pace over the next three months with a simplified timeline detailed below. We will bring your more updates as the work progresses.