1989 New Zealand local government reforms

Law in New Zealand April 2024 August 2020 thumb|right|upright=1.33|Map of territorial authorities after the 2010 Auckland Council amalgamation. Cities are in uppercase, others are districts. Regions are indicated with colours. The 1989 New Zealand local government reform was the most significant reform of local government in New Zealand in over a century. Some 850 local bodies were amalgamated into 86 local authorities, on regional and territorial levels. The new authorities were established on 1 November, following the election of members on 14 October 1989. Background The previous major local government reform was the replacement of provincial government with elected borough and county councils at the end of 1876. The Counties Act 1876 created 63 counties out of the rural parts of the provinces.McKinnon Malcolm Malcolm McKinnon Colonial and provincial government – Julius Vogel and the abolition of provincial government http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/colonial-and-provincial-government/page-4 Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand 22 August 2015 13 July 2012 Over subsequent decades, many new bodies were set up, some of them multi-purpose, and others single-purpose,Derby Mark Local and regional government – Reforming local government http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/local-and-regional-government/page-5 Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand 22 August 2015 13 July 2012 such as harbour boards. The Local Government Act 1974 consolidated the law relating to territorial local authorities, removing the distinction between urban authorities (boroughs and towns) and rural authorities (counties). It enabled the establishment of regional councils, but these were not established until the 1989 reform. History The Labour Party had reform of local government as one of its policies for the 1984, but did not give much detail; the proposals were developed during the first term of the Fourth Labour Government after the party won the election. Michael Bassett was Minister of Local Government and appointed a Local Government Commission, which was chaired by Brian Elwood from 1 April 1985 to 1 November 1992. http://www.lgc.govt.nz/lgcwebsite.nsf/75ce03015d89e23bcc256ddb001171ec/5fdde1bd7644f2cbcc257337001b619f!OpenDocument https://web.archive.org/web/20130207161653/http://www.lgc.govt.nz/lgcwebsite.nsf/75ce03015d89e23bcc256ddb001171ec/5fdde1bd7644f2cbcc257337001b619f%21OpenDocument 7 February 2013 Commission Members since 1947 Local Government Commission 14 December 2010 dead Rudman Brian Brian Rudman Sir Brian Elwood struck the right note with big reforms of 1989 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10457768 23 August 2015 The New Zealand Herald 15 August 2007 The government gave the commission a guarantee that their findings would be treated as binding. The resulting local government reform was undertaken along the lines of marketisation, and was done in conjunction with neoliberal economic reforms known as Rogernomics. Some 850 entities were amalgamated into 86 local authorities on regional and territorial levels. Of the 850 entities, 249 were municipalities,Sancton Andrew Merger Mania 2000 McGill-Queen's University Press Montreal 0773521631 84 https://books.google.com/books?id=cvXWBwwSXTcC 23 August 2015 and the remainder harbour boards, catchment boards, and drainage boards. The new authorities came into being on 1 November 1989, with the local politicians having been elected on 14 October.Forrester Kay 31 October 1989 Reform leads to end of era in local government The Press https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19891031.2.46 Papers Past Brian Rudman, a journalist and editorial writer for The New Zealand Herald, called the reforms "revolutionary". Results of the reform Regional authorities New Zealand was divided into 14 regions, of which 13 were regional authorities, and the remaining one, Gisborne, was a unitary authority. Unitary authorities in New Zealand are district (or city) authorities that also fulfil the function of a regional authority.Unitary authority http://nelson.govt.nz/council/council-structure/unitary-authority Nelson City Council 24 August 2015 5 May 2014 Region Regional council Council seat Island Unitary authorities1 Gisborne Gisborne District Council Gisborne North Regional authorities1 Northland Northland Regional Council Whangārei North2 Auckland Auckland Regional Council Auckland North3 Waikato Waikato Regional Council Hamilton North4 Bay of Plenty Bay of Plenty Regional Council Whakatane North5 Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay Regional Council Napier North6 Taranaki Taranaki Regional Council Stratford North7 Manawatū-Whanganui Horizons Regional Council Palmerston North North8 Wellington Greater Wellington Regional Council Wellington North9 Nelson-Marlborough Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council Blenheim South10 West Coast West Coast Regional Council Greymouth South11 Canterbury Canterbury Regional Council Christchurch South12 Otago Otago Regional Council Dunedin South13 Southland Southland Regional Council Invercargill South Territorial authorities At a territorial level, district and city authorities were created. The area of a district may belong to more than one regional authority. Name Seat Region(s) Island1 Far North District Kaikohe Northland North2 Whangarei District Whangārei Northland North3 Kaipara District Dargaville Northland North4 Rodney District Orewa Auckland North5 Auckland City Auckland Auckland North6 North Shore City Takapuna Auckland North7 Waitakere City Henderson Auckland North8 Manukau City Manukau Auckland North9 Papakura District Papakura Auckland North10 Franklin District Pukekohe Waikato (60.18%)Auckland (39.82%) North11 Thames-Coromandel District Thames Waikato North12 Hauraki District Paeroa Waikato North13 Waikato District Ngāruawāhia Waikato North14 Matamata-Piako District Te Aroha Waikato North15 Hamilton City Hamilton Waikato North16 Waipa District Te Awamutu Waikato North17 South Waikato District Tokoroa Waikato North18 Otorohanga District Otorohanga Waikato North19 Waitomo District Te Kūiti Waikato (94.87%)Manawatū-Whanganui (5.13%) North20 Taupō District Taupō Waikato (73.74%)Bay of Plenty (14.31%)Hawke's Bay (11.26%)Manawatū-Whanganui (0.69%) North21 Western Bay of Plenty District Greerton, Tauranga City Bay of Plenty North22 Tauranga District Tauranga Bay of Plenty North23 Opotiki District Opotiki Bay of Plenty North24 Whakatane District Whakatane Bay of Plenty North25 Rotorua District Rotorua Bay of Plenty (61.52%)Waikato (38.48%) North26 Kawerau District Kawerau Bay of Plenty North27 Gisborne District Gisborne Gisborne (unitary authority) North28 Wairoa District Wairoa Hawke's Bay North29 Hastings District Hastings Hawke's Bay North30 Napier City Napier Hawke's Bay North31 Central Hawke's Bay District Waipawa Hawke's Bay North32 New Plymouth District New Plymouth Taranaki North33 Stratford District Stratford Taranaki (68.13%)Manawatū-Whanganui (31.87%) North34 South Taranaki District Hawera Taranaki North35 Ruapehu District Taumarunui Manawatū-Whanganui North36 Rangitikei District Marton Manawatū-Whanganui (86.37%)Hawke's Bay (13.63%) North37 Wanganui District Wanganui Manawatū-Whanganui North38 Manawatū District Feilding Manawatū-Whanganui North39 Palmerston North City Palmerston North Manawatū-Whanganui North40 Tararua District Dannevirke Manawatū-Whanganui (98.42%)Wellington (1.58%) North41 Horowhenua District Levin Manawatū-Whanganui North42 Masterton District Masterton Wellington North43 Kāpiti Coast District Paraparaumu Wellington North44 Carterton District Carterton Wellington North45 South Wairarapa District Martinborough Wellington North46 Upper Hutt City Upper Hutt Wellington North47 Porirua City Porirua Wellington North48 Hutt City Lower Hutt Wellington North49 Wellington City Wellington Wellington North50Tasman District Richmond Nelson-Marlborough South51 Nelson City Nelson Nelson-Marlborough South52 Marlborough District Blenheim Nelson-Marlborough South53 Kaikoura District Kaikoura Nelson-Marlborough South54 Buller District Westport West Coast South55 Grey District Greymouth West Coast South56 Westland District Hokitika West Coast South57 Hurunui District Amberley Canterbury South58 Selwyn District Rolleston Canterbury South59 Waimakariri District Rangiora Canterbury South60 Christchurch City Christchurch Canterbury South61 Banks Peninsula Lyttelton Canterbury South62 Ashburton District Ashburton Canterbury South63 Mackenzie District Fairlie Canterbury South64 Timaru District Timaru Canterbury South65 Waimate District Waimate Canterbury South66 Waitaki District Oamaru Canterbury (59.61%)Otago (40.39%) South67 Queenstown-Lakes District Queenstown Otago South68 Central Otago District Alexandra Otago South69 Dunedin City Dunedin Otago South70 Clutha District Balclutha Otago South71 Southland District Invercargill Southland South72 Gore District Gore Southland South73 Invercargill City Invercargill Southland South References Category:History of local government in New Zealand Category:Territorial authorities of New Zealand Local government reforms Category:Mergers of administrative divisions