Head Start: simplifying local government

The government has given councils across New Zealand a three-month window to develop proposals to reorganise local government in their regions. The government refers to this as the Head Start pathway.  

Through this, councils will consider how they can join with other councils to become more effective.

For councils that don’t put forward proposals by 9 August, the government will step in and make decisions for them – the government is calling this the 'Backstop' process.

Whanganui District Council is focused on understanding what council reform could mean for our community and is working with key partners to shape what happens next.

Head Start Programme information session

If you couldn't make it to our Tuesday 9 June session, check out the livestream below.

View the presentation slides(PPTX, 27MB)

The wider Simplifying Local Government programme

In November 2025, the government proposed replacing regional councillors with a group made up of a region’s mayors to simplify local government.

While submissions showed general support for the need to reform local government, many submitters raised concerns about how the proposals would work in practice.

The government’s aim

Across the country, councils are facing fiscal, governance and delivery challenges including growing infrastructure backlogs, constrained funding settings, and increasing expectations.

The government wants to see councils come up with a plan to amalgamate with others in order to simplify governance, reduce duplication and improve regional coordination.

While considering the possibility of merging with neighbouring councils, councils have been asked to ensure that what they propose creates a unitary authority. 

What's a unitary authority? There are several areas in New Zealand with unitary councils but, in most places in New Zealand, the same area is served by two separate councils that share responsibility for local government:

• regional councils like Horizons are responsible for managing the natural environment and region-wide issues such as rivers, air quality and public transport planning
• territorial councils (city and district councils – like Whanganui District Council) focus on local services such as local roads, parks, libraries, recycling and community facilities.

Under a unitary authority, one council carries out both regional and territorial council functions instead of having two separate councils.

At the 2028 local elections, the government intends for regional councillors to be replaced with an ‘interim body’ to provide capacity while regional councils are wound down.

You can find more information on the Department of Internal Affairs' website here

Proposals – what councils need to consider

Any proposal needs to be developed by at least two councils working together.

Proposals need to represent either:

• a majority of directly affected city or district councils, or
• a majority of the population across affected districts.

The government will use five criteria to assess the proposals:

• deliverability: proposals are realistic and demonstrate how new arrangements can be implemented in a timely way
• supports the new planning system: including progress on spatial and natural environment plan development
• simplifies local governance: with more efficient arrangements, consolidating decision-making and improving alignment between a region’s councils
• creates economies of scale: supports regional strategic planning and delivery of key functions (such as transport and catchment management) and demonstrates responsible and affordable asset management, infrastructure investment, and service delivery
• maintains local voice: demonstrates fair and effective representation for communities of interest and how decisions will be made at the local level, balancing urban and rural interests.

Councils are expected to engage with relevant post-settlement governance entities (PSGEs) to demonstrate how existing Treaty settlement arrangements with regional councils could be carried through to the new structure.

What we’re doing

Open dialogue with our community, Iwi and key partners will be critical throughout this process.

We are engaging with key partners including Ngā Tāngata Tiaki and neighbouring councils to put the right foundations in place and will proactively reach out to the wider community as the work develops.

For Whanganui, it is important that these discussions are considered through the lens of Te Awa Tupua and the relationships and responsibilities that come with it.

A decision-making framework will be developed, including criteria to ensure different options can be assessed in a consistent way.

Having your say

We know this change matters to our community because it affects how local decisions are made, how services are delivered, and what local identity looks like in the future. 

Our initial Head Start survey opened on Monday, 8 June and closed on Sunday, 21 June. It asked what matters most to you as we head into the process. Feedback from the initial survey is being taken into account as we continue discussions with key partners and look to develop a set of options to bring to the community for feedback. 

We'll provide regular updates throughout this process – keep an eye on this web page or the Whanganui District Council Facebook page.