# Regions of New Zealand

New Zealand is divided into sixteen regions for local government purposes. Eleven are administered by regional councils, and five are administered by unitary authorities, which are territorial authorities that also perform the functions of regional councils. The Chatham Islands Council is not a region but is similar to a unitary authority, authorised under its own legislation.

## Current regions
### History and statutory basis

The regional councils are listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 2002, along with reference to the Gazette notices that established them in 1989. The act requires regional councils to promote sustainable development – the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of their communities.
The current regions and most of their councils came into being through a local government reform in 1989 that took place under the Local Government Act 1974. The regional councils replaced the more than 700 ad hoc bodies that had been formed in the preceding century – roads boards, catchment boards, drainage boards, pest control boards, harbour boards, domain and reserve boards. In addition they took over some roles that had previously been performed by county councils.
The boundaries of the regions are based largely on drainage basins. This anticipated the responsibilities of the Resource Management Act 1991. Most regional boundaries conform with territorial authority boundaries but there are a number of exceptions. An example is Taupo District, split between four regions, although most of its area is in the Waikato region. There is often a high degree of co-operation between regional and territorial councils as they have complementary roles.

### Resource management functions

Regional councils have these specific functions under the Resource Management Act 1991:
* Planning for the integrated management of natural and physical resources
* Planning for regionally significant land uses
* Soil conservation, water quality and quantity, water ecosystems, natural hazards, hazardous substances
* Controlling the coastal marine area
* Controlling via resource consents the taking, use, damming or diverting of water
* Controlling via resource consents the discharge of contaminants
* Establishing of rules in a regional plan to allocate water
* Controlling via resource consents the beds of waterbodies

### Other functions

Regional councils have responsibility for functions under other statutes;
* flood and river control under the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941,
* reserves vested in regional councils under the Reserves Act 1977,
* civil defence under the Civil Defence Act 1990,
* regional pest management under the Biosecurity Act 1993,
* harbour and water navigation under the Maritime Transport Act 1994,
* hazardous waste under the HSNO Act 1996,
* public transport planning under the Land Transport Act 1998, and
* supervision of the safety of dams under the Building Act 2004.

### List of regions

| | Name (name in Māori if different) | Regional council | Seats | Council seat | Island | Land area | Land area | Population | Density | Density | ISO 3166-2 Code |
| | Name (name in Māori if different) | Regional council | Seats | Council seat | Island | km$^2$ | sq mi | Population | per km$^2$ | per sq mi | ISO 3166-2 Code |
| 1 | Northland Te Tai Tokerau | Northland Regional Council | 9 | Whangārei | North | 12,504 | 4,828 | 204,800 | 16.38 | 42.4 | NZ-NTL |
| 2 | Auckland Tāmaki-makau-rau | Auckland Council | 21 | Auckland | North | 4,941 | 1,908 | 1,798,300 | 363.95 | 942.6 | NZ-AUK |
| 3 | Waikato | Waikato Regional Council | 14 | Hamilton | North | 23,900 | 9,200 | 536,200 | 22.44 | 58.1 | NZ-WKO |
| 4 | Bay of Plenty Te Moana-a-Toi | Bay of Plenty Regional Council | 14 | Whakatāne | North | 12,072 | 4,661 | 355,200 | 29.42 | 76.2 | NZ-BOP |
| 5 | Gisborne Te Tairāwhiti | Gisborne District Council | 14 | Gisborne | North | 8,385 | 3,237 | 53,300 | 6.36 | 16.5 | NZ-GIS |
| 6 | Hawke's Bay Te Matau-a-Māui | Hawke's Bay Regional Council | 11 | Napier | North | 14,138 | 5,459 | 185,400 | 13.11 | 34.0 | NZ-HKB |
| 7 | Taranaki | Taranaki Regional Council | 11 | Stratford | North | 7,254 | 2,801 | 130,800 | 18.03 | 46.7 | NZ-TKI |
| 8 | Manawatū-Whanganui | Horizons Regional Council | 12 | Palmerston North | North | 22,221 | 8,580 | 263,300 | 11.85 | 30.7 | NZ-MWT |
| 9 | Wellington Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara | Greater Wellington Regional Council | 13 | Wellington | North | 8,049 | 3,108 | 550,600 | 68.41 | 177.2 | NZ-WGN |
| 10 | Tasman Te Tai-o-Aorere | Tasman District Council | 13 | Richmond | South | 9,616 | 3,713 | 60,000 | 6.24 | 16.2 | NZ-TAS |
| 11 | Nelson Whakatū | Nelson City Council | 13 | Nelson | South | 422 | 163 | 55,200 | 130.81 | 338.8 | NZ-NSN |
| 12 | Marlborough Te Tauihu-o-te-waka | Marlborough District Council | 14 | Blenheim | South | 10,458 | 4,038 | 52,300 | 4.98 | 12.9 | NZ-MBH |
| 13 | West Coast Te Tai Poutini | West Coast Regional Council | 7 | Greymouth | South | 23,245 | 8,975 | 34,800 | 1.50 | 3.9 | NZ-WTC |
| 14 | Canterbury Waitaha | Environment Canterbury | 14 | Christchurch | South | 44,504 | 17,183 | 694,400 | 15.60 | 40.4 | NZ-CAN |
| 15 | Otago Ōtākou | Otago Regional Council | 12 | Dunedin | South | 31,186 | 12,041 | 257,200 | 8.25 | 21.4 | NZ-OTA |
| 16 | Southland Murihiku | Southland Regional Council | 12 | Invercargill | South | 31,196 | 12,045 | 106,100 | 3.40 | 8.8 | NZ-STL |
Notes
* 1 2 3 4 5 These regions have unitary authorities.
* ↑ The Gisborne Region is still widely but unofficially known by its former name East Cape or as the East Coast.

### Areas outside regional boundaries

Some outlying islands are not included within regional boundaries. The Chatham Islands is not in a region, although its council has some of the powers of a regional council under the Resource Management Act 1991. The Kermadecs and the subantarctic islands are inhabited only by a small number of Department of Conservation staff and there is no regional council for these islands.

### Governance

Regional councils are popularly elected every three years in accordance with the Local Electoral Act 2001. Councils may use a first-past-the-post or single transferable vote system. The chairperson is selected by the elected council members.

### Finances

Regional councils are funded through property rates, subsidies from central government, income from trading, and user charges for certain public services. Councils set their own levels of rates, though the mechanism for collecting it usually involves channelling through the territorial authority collection system.

## Regional chairs

List of current regional chairs :
| Region | Chair | Affiliation |
| Northland | Penny Smart | Independent |
| Waikato | Pamela Storey | Independent |
| Bay of Plenty | Doug Leeder | Independent |
| Hawke's Bay | Hinewai Ormsby | Independent |
| Taranaki | Charlotte Littlewood | Independent |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | Rachel Keedwell | Independent |
| Greater Wellington | Daran Ponter | Labour |
| West Coast | Peter Haddock | Independent |
| Canterbury | Craig Pauling | Independent |
| Otago | Gretchen Robertson | Independent |
| Southland | Nicol Horrell | Independent |

## Predecessors of current structure
### Auckland

The Auckland Regional Council (now the Auckland Council) was preceded by the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA), which existed from 1963 to 1989.

### Wellington

The Wellington Regional Council was first formed in 1980 from a merger of the Wellington Regional Planning Authority and the Wellington Regional Water Board.

### United councils

In 1978, legislation was passed enabling the formation of regions that had united councils. Twenty regions were designated, excluding the Auckland and Wellington areas. For most of the country this was the first time there had been a regional level of government since the abolition of provinces in 1876. Councillors were not elected directly – they were appointed from the various territorial local authorities (TLAs) within the region.
The only responsibilities mandated by the legislation were coordination of civil defence and development of a regional plan, although the constituent TLAs could agree on additional responsibilities at the point of formation of each united council. For example, in a number of cases the united council took responsibility for the allocation of revenue from regional petrol taxes.
The united councils were based in the facilities of the largest TLA in the region and largely dependent on the TLAs for resources. They were allowed to levy rates but in most cases had minimal operating budgets (below $100,000 per annum). The notable exception was Canterbury, where the united council had a number of responsibilities. Only one united council undertook any direct operational activity – a forestry project in Wanganui.
List of united councils :
| Region | When formed | Levy rates (1982/83) |
| Northland | January 1980 | $118,000 |
| Thames Valley | July 1980 | $46,000 |
| Waikato | October 1980 | $36,000 |
| Bay of Plenty | August 1979 | $17,000 |
| Tongariro | November 1979 | $50,000 |
| East Cape | August 1979 | $16,000 |
| Hawke's Bay | December 1983 | – |
| Taranaki | February 1979 | $60,000 |
| Wanganui | May 1979 | $81,000 |
| Wairarapa | November 1978 | $33,000 |
| Manawatu | May 1981 | 0 |
| Horowhenua | June 1980 | $47,000 |
| Nelson Bays | November 1978 | $84,000 |
| Marlborough | December 1978 | $30,000 |
| Canterbury | May 1979 | $605,000 |
| West Coast | November 1978 | $32,000 |
| Aorangi | 1983 | – |
| Coastal / North Otago | April 1983 | – |
| Clutha / Central Otago | November 1980 | $33,000 |
| Southland | May 1979 | $88,000 |
Source: Summary of the Functions and Activities of United Councils. Dept of Internal Affairs, 1984.