# 1989 New Zealand local government reforms

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.
Over subsequent decades, many new bodies were set up, some of them multi-purpose, and others single-purpose, 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 election, 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. 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, 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. 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.
| | Region | Regional council | Council seat | Island |
| Unitary authorities |||||
| 1 | Gisborne | Gisborne District Council | Gisborne | North |
| Regional authorities |||||
| 1 | Northland | Northland Regional Council | Whangarei | North |
| 2 | Auckland | Auckland Regional Council | Auckland | North |
| 3 | Waikato | Waikato Regional Council | Hamilton | North |
| 4 | Bay of Plenty | Bay of Plenty Regional Council | Whakatane | North |
| 5 | Hawke's Bay | Hawke's Bay Regional Council | Napier | North |
| 6 | Taranaki | Taranaki Regional Council | Stratford | North |
| 7 | Manawatū-Whanganui | Horizons Regional Council | Palmerston North | North |
| 8 | Wellington | Greater Wellington Regional Council | Wellington | North |
| 9 | Nelson-Marlborough | Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council | Blenheim | South |
| 10 | West Coast | West Coast Regional Council | Greymouth | South |
| 11 | Canterbury | Canterbury Regional Council | Christchurch | South |
| 12 | Otago | Otago Regional Council | Dunedin | South |
| 13 | 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) | Island |
| 1 | Far North District | Kaikohe | Northland | North |
| 2 | Whangarei District | Whangarei | Northland | North |
| 3 | Kaipara District | Dargaville | Northland | North |
| 4 | Rodney District | Orewa | Auckland | North |
| 5 | Auckland City | Auckland | Auckland | North |
| 6 | North Shore City | Takapuna | Auckland | North |
| 7 | Waitakere City | Henderson | Auckland | North |
| 8 | Manukau City | Manukau | Auckland | North |
| 9 | Papakura District | Papakura | Auckland | North |
| 10 | Franklin District | Pukekohe | Waikato (60.18%) Auckland (39.82%) | North |
| 11 | Thames-Coromandel District | Thames | Waikato | North |
| 12 | Hauraki District | Paeroa | Waikato | North |
| 13 | Waikato District | Ngāruawāhia | Waikato | North |
| 14 | Matamata-Piako District | Te Aroha | Waikato | North |
| 15 | Hamilton City | Hamilton | Waikato | North |
| 16 | Waipa District | Te Awamutu | Waikato | North |
| 17 | South Waikato District | Tokoroa | Waikato | North |
| 18 | Otorohanga District | Otorohanga | Waikato | North |
| 19 | Waitomo District | Te Kūiti | Waikato (94.87%) Manawatū-Whanganui (5.13%) | North |
| 20 | Taupō District | Taupō | Waikato (73.74%) Bay of Plenty (14.31%) Hawke's Bay (11.26%) Manawatū-Whanganui (0.69%) | North |
| 21 | Western Bay of Plenty District | Greerton, Tauranga City | Bay of Plenty | North |
| 22 | Tauranga District | Tauranga | Bay of Plenty | North |
| 23 | Opotiki District | Opotiki | Bay of Plenty | North |
| 24 | Whakatane District | Whakatane | Bay of Plenty | North |
| 25 | Rotorua District | Rotorua | Bay of Plenty (61.52%) Waikato (38.48%) | North |
| 26 | Kawerau District | Kawerau | Bay of Plenty | North |
| 27 | Gisborne District | Gisborne | Gisborne (unitary authority) | North |
| 28 | Wairoa District | Wairoa | Hawke's Bay | North |
| 29 | Hastings District | Hastings | Hawke's Bay | North |
| 30 | Napier City | Napier | Hawke's Bay | North |
| 31 | Central Hawke's Bay District | Waipawa | Hawke's Bay | North |
| 32 | New Plymouth District | New Plymouth | Taranaki | North |
| 33 | Stratford District | Stratford | Taranaki (68.13%) Manawatū-Whanganui (31.87%) | North |
| 34 | South Taranaki District | Hawera | Taranaki | North |
| 35 | Ruapehu District | Taumarunui | Manawatū-Whanganui | North |
| 36 | Rangitikei District | Marton | Manawatū-Whanganui (86.37%) Hawke's Bay (13.63%) | North |
| 37 | Wanganui District | Wanganui | Manawatū-Whanganui | North |
| 38 | Manawatū District | Feilding | Manawatū-Whanganui | North |
| 39 | Palmerston North City | Palmerston North | Manawatū-Whanganui | North |
| 40 | Tararua District | Dannevirke | Manawatū-Whanganui (98.42%) Wellington (1.58%) | North |
| 41 | Horowhenua District | Levin | Manawatū-Whanganui | North |
| 42 | Masterton District | Masterton | Wellington | North |
| 43 | Kāpiti Coast District | Paraparaumu | Wellington | North |
| 44 | Carterton District | Carterton | Wellington | North |
| 45 | South Wairarapa District | Martinborough | Wellington | North |
| 46 | Upper Hutt City | Upper Hutt | Wellington | North |
| 47 | Porirua City | Porirua | Wellington | North |
| 48 | Hutt City | Lower Hutt | Wellington | North |
| 49 | Wellington City | Wellington | Wellington | North |
| 50 | Tasman District | Richmond | Nelson-Marlborough | South |
| 51 | Nelson City | Nelson | Nelson-Marlborough | South |
| 52 | Marlborough District | Blenheim | Nelson-Marlborough | South |
| 53 | Kaikoura District | Kaikoura | Nelson-Marlborough | South |
| 54 | Buller District | Westport | West Coast | South |
| 55 | Grey District | Greymouth | West Coast | South |
| 56 | Westland District | Hokitika | West Coast | South |
| 57 | Hurunui District | Amberley | Canterbury | South |
| 58 | Selwyn District | Rolleston | Canterbury | South |
| 59 | Waimakariri District | Rangiora | Canterbury | South |
| 60 | Christchurch City | Christchurch | Canterbury | South |
| 61 | Banks Peninsula | Lyttelton | Canterbury | South |
| 62 | Ashburton District | Ashburton | Canterbury | South |
| 63 | Mackenzie District | Fairlie | Canterbury | South |
| 64 | Timaru District | Timaru | Canterbury | South |
| 65 | Waimate District | Waimate | Canterbury | South |
| 66 | Waitaki District | Oamaru | Canterbury (59.61%) Otago (40.39%) | South |
| 67 | Queenstown-Lakes District | Queenstown | Otago | South |
| 68 | Central Otago District | Alexandra | Otago | South |
| 69 | Dunedin City | Dunedin | Otago | South |
| 70 | Clutha District | Balclutha | Otago | South |
| 71 | Southland District | Invercargill | Southland | South |
| 72 | Gore District | Gore | Southland | South |
| 73 | Invercargill City | Invercargill | Southland | South |